


Neo Culture Technology

by The_Sassiest_Trixster



Series: NCT [12]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF NCT, Blood and Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gun Violence, LOTS of violence, M/M, Mafia NCT, One Big Happy Family, Poisoning, Shooting Guns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:02:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 53,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28501176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Sassiest_Trixster/pseuds/The_Sassiest_Trixster
Summary: It was a dark and quiet night at a local hospital as resident Dong Sicheng was finishing signing off on some paperwork when five men dressed in black walked towards the emergency room door.  Sicheng saw them coming out of the corner of his eye and felt his blood run cold; nothing good ever came from five men dressed in black walking towards a hospital emergency room at one o’clock in the morning.
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Nakamoto Yuta, Jung Sungchan/Osaki Shotaro, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong, Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Moon Taeil, Kim Jungwoo/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le, Wong Kun Hang | Hendery/Xiao De Jun | Xiao Jun
Series: NCT [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1668625
Comments: 179
Kudos: 315





	1. Sicheng meets 威神V

It was a dark and quiet night at a local hospital as resident Dong Sicheng was finishing signing off on some paperwork when five men dressed in black walked towards the emergency room door. Sicheng saw them coming out of the corner of his eye and felt his blood run cold; nothing good ever came from five men dressed in black walking towards a hospital emergency room at one o’clock in the morning. However, he didn’t want to seem nervous, so he continued to check his charts and sign off on them, just as the sliding doors opened and the five men stepped inside.

“Is there a doctor in the house?” one of the men called out. Sicheng paused, eyes shutting for a second, before he looked over at them.

“I am. I mean, I’m a resident, but I suppose you could call me a doctor” he replied. The tall young man with light skin, blonde hair, and brown eyes in the front of the five men, whom Sicheng assumed was the boss, narrowed his eyes at him.

“How good are you with dealing with wounds?” he asked. Sicheng raised an eyebrow.

“What kind of wound are we talking about?” he replied. Another young man, a tall young man with light skin, pink hair, and brown eyes, stepped forward and held out his arm and rolled up his sleeve, revealing a pretty deep knife slash on his arm. Sicheng took one look at it and hissed.

“That looks pretty bad. I can definitely take a look at it” he assured, looking up at the boss. The boss narrowed his eyes again before he nodded.

“Okay” he agreed. Sicheng then looked at the young man who was holding his arm and smiled gently.

“Follow me; I’ll take you to a private room so that I can properly clean and look at your wound” he stated. The young man nodded and followed after Sicheng as he headed towards an empty hospital room; Sicheng motioning to the bed.

“You can just have a seat, I gotta get the necessary equipment” he explained as he walked over to the cabinet full of bandages, gauze, anasept gel, a small hand towel, a bowl of warm water, a needle holder, a toothed forceps, and a suture kit. Once he grabbed all the equipment that he would need, he walked over to the sink and thoroughly washed his hands before slipping on a mask and some gloves before walking back over to the young man.

“So, you wanna tell me how you got this cut?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at the young man. The young man blushed before he looked away.

“Um…well…” he started. Sicheng huffed.

“If you’re worried that I’m gonna write up a report or record of your visit, I’m not. Just tell me what happened; I promise I’m not going to judge you” he assured. The young man looked at him before he sighed.

“Got caught in a, uh…knife fight. Kun-ge put a bullet through the guy’s brain after I got cut” he explained. Sicheng hummed as he took the small hand towel and dipped it into the warm water.

“Is “Kun-ge” your boss?” he asked, gently cleaning the area around the wound, making the young man hiss in pain.

“Sorry” he apologized. The young man smiled and shook his head.

“It’s okay. And yeah, he is” he replied. Sicheng hummed and nodded.

“Makes sense” he agreed as he continued to gently clean the wound before patting it dry. Once the wound was clean, he took some numbing gel and applied it around the wound before threading the surgical needle.

“Do I really need stitches?” the young man croaked. Sicheng looked at him and smiled, even though he knew the man couldn’t see his mouth.

“Your cut is pretty deep. And stitches will help heal it faster” he explained. The young man looked at him with wide, scared eyes before he let out a shuddery breath.

“Is it gonna hurt?” he asked. Sicheng shook his head.

“No, it shouldn’t. I put numbing gel around it, so you shouldn’t feel a thing” he assured. The young man nodded and watched as Sicheng quickly and professionally stitched up his wound before placing a non-adhesive wound dressing over the suture. He then wrapped gauze over the wound, before finishing with velband and crepe. Once the wound was bandage, he threw away the dirty needle, removed his gloves, and then removed his facemask. 

“And there we go! All done!” he declared. The young man looked at his wrapped arm in shock.

“Wow…you’re good” he murmured. Sicheng smiled.

“Well, after eight years, I would hope so” he chuckled before he took a sling and gently slipped it over the young man’s head before slipping his arm into it. Once his arm was in the sling, the young man smiled and held out his hand.

“Huang Guanheng, but you can call me Hendery” he introduced. Sicheng smiled and shook his hand.

“Dong Sicheng” he replied before he motioned to the door.

“I think your boss is waiting for you” he stated. Hendery nodded and slipped off the bed, following Sicheng out of the room and back over to the four men.

“Alright, his wound’s taken care of. And before you freak out, I’m not going to put this little…visit on record. I know you guys like to keep your identities out of public record” he assured. The four men looked at him in shock before the boss, “Kun-ge”, stepped forward and held out his hand.

“Thank you” he thanked. Sicheng blinked before he reached out and shook his hand.

“No problem. Just doing my job” he replied. The boss smiled before he nodded.

“Qian Kun. Thank you again” he thanked. Sicheng nodded.

“Dong Sicheng. And no problem” he replied. Kun smiled and turned to leave, his men following him, when Sicheng threw out a hand.

“Oh, wait a second!” he called out, making them all stop. Kun turned and raised an eyebrow.

“Yes?” he replied. Sicheng smiled and motioned to Hendery.

“I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but I need you to bring him back in about 5-7 weeks, just so that I can check on how the wound is healing” he explained. Kun nodded.

“I will make sure to bring him back. After hours, of course” he replied. Sicheng nodded.

“Of course” he agreed. Kun smiled before he turned and walked away for real, the other four men following him, Hendery waving goodbye as they left. Sicheng waved goodbye to him before he turned back to his report, signing a few more lines before he stopped and realized that he just treated a triad member and also talked to his boss…all without the threat of a gun in his face. Which was weird. But also a good thing, he guessed as he went back to finishing his paperwork before going home for the evening. 

~*~*~*~*~

The next time Sicheng saw Kun and his men, it was literally two days after he bandaged Hendery’s arm. They came in at the same time as they did when they brought Hendery, except this time, Kun was supporting a tall young man with light skin, dark brown hair, and brown eyes while the young man clutched at his arm, which was stained with blood.

“Oh my God!” Sicheng exclaimed as he ran over to them, looking them over.

“What the hell happened?!” he exclaimed.

“Gang war. You know how it goes” Hendery explained with a small, easy going smile. Sicheng shot him a glare.

“No, I don’t know how it goes” he snapped before he looked at Kun.

“Come on, bring him over to one of these beds” he ordered, turning and heading to one of the empty rooms. Kun nodded and guided the young man towards the room, helping him up onto the bed as Sicheng walked around the room, grabbing supplies.

“I am so not qualified for this” he grumbled before he walked over to the young man and placed his mask on as well as his gloves. He then put his hands on his hips as he looked down at the young man before he began unbuttoning the young man’s black dress shirt.

“Hey, hey! What are you doing?!” the young man exclaimed, trying to bat away Sicheng’s hands.

“Trying to see if you’ve got a bullet in your arm or if it just grazed you” Sicheng snapped.

Once he had opened up the young man’s shirt, he had him sit up so that he could remove the shirt just enough to see if the kid had got hit or if he got grazed. Thankfully, the kid had just been grazed and it wasn’t serious. 

“Oh, thank fuck” he murmured. Kun frowned.

“What?” he asked. Sicheng looked up at him and sighed.

“He just got grazed by the bullet. He’s gonna be fine. I just have to clean and dress the wound, since you know, we don’t want infection setting in” he explained. Kun nodded.

“Of course. Do what you have to do” he replied. Sicheng nodded before he took a cotton swab and dipped it into warm water, cleaning the area around the wound, causing the young man to hiss.

“How did you guys get caught up in a gang war? Deal go bad or something?” Sicheng asked, glancing up at Kun before focusing on his work. Kun chuckled.

“You could say that” he replied. Sicheng raised an eyebrow at him before he sighed and went back to work, placing a non-adhesive wound dressing over the suture before wrapping gauze over the wound and finishing it off with velband and crepe, just like how he had done with Hendery. After bandaging the young man, he helped him put his shirt back on before placing his hands on his hips.

“Come back and see me in a week so that I can properly check your wound, but I want you to check it every day to make sure that there isn’t any infection. Understand?” he asked, giving the young man a look. The young man looked up at him and nodded.

“Okay” he replied. Sicheng nodded before he looked up at Kun and pointed at him.

“And I don’t want you to let him or Hendery out on the field until their wounds are properly healed, you got that?” he scolded. Kun and the young man looked at him in shock before Kun nodded.

“I got it. Sorry to bother you, Sicheng” he apologized. Sicheng huffed and waved his hand.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. I mean, it’s fine, really. This is what I wanted to do my entire life and now I’m actually doing it” he murmured. Kun nodded.

“I understand. Thank you again” he thanked as he helped the young man off the bed, the three of them heading back to the others. 

“So, what was it, Yangyang?” a tall young man with light tan skin, dark brown hair, and brown eyes asked. The young man who got shot, Liu Yangyang, glared at him.

“It was a graze, thank you very much, Xiaojun” he snapped. Xiao “Xiaojun” Dejun, the man who asked the question, huffed.

“I just asked” he replied as Sicheng placed his hands on his hips.

“Can we maybe not argue with each other in my emergency room? Please and thanks” he thanked, looking at them. Xiaojun and Yangyang looked at him before bowing their heads.

“Sorry” they apologized. Sicheng waved his hand again.

“It’s fine. Just go home and get some rest. And I don’t want to see any of you in this emergency room for the next couple of weeks. Are we clear?” he asked, looking at all of them with narrowed eyes. The five men nodded.

“Yes sir” they replied. Sicheng nodded in reply.

“Good. Now get out of my hospital” he playfully ordered. Kun and the others chuckled as they turned and headed out of the emergency room, leaving Sicheng alone again. Sicheng watched them leave before he frowned.

“Wait…fuck the security cameras” he murmured, face palming. He was going to have to figure out a way to keep Kun and his men off the cameras the next time they decided to come around.

~*~*~*~*~

The next time Sicheng saw Kun or any of his men was actually the next morning when a tall young man with light skin, black hair, and brown eyes dressed in a police uniform walked over to him.

“Dong Sicheng?” the man asked. Sicheng, who was at the ER nurse’s desk, looked up when he heard his name.

“Yes? Can I help you?” he replied. The man in the uniform smiled and held out his hand.

“Officer Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul. Call me Ten” he replied. Sicheng smiled and shook his hand before he frowned.

“I’m sorry, but how do you know my name? I don’t think we’ve met before” he stated. Ten laughed.

“Are you sure?” he replied, raising an eyebrow. Sicheng stared at him for a moment before he gasped.

“You’re one of—” he started when Ten nodded, cutting him off.

“Mmhm. I’m undercover” he explained. Sicheng nodded slowly.

“I see” he replied before he frowned.

“What are you doing here?” he asked. Ten motioned to a young man who was lying on a gurney, who looked like he had gotten into a pretty bad accident.

“Traffic accident” he replied. Sicheng looked over at the man and nodded before he looked at Ten.

“Oh, are you going to see him tonight?” he asked. Ten raised an eyebrow.

“I wasn’t planning on it, why?” he replied. Sicheng sighed.

“If you do see him, can you ask him just to watch out for the security cameras? I’m afraid my bosses are going to look at the footage and wonder who these five guys are that keep coming to the hospital at ungodly hours” he explained. Ten looked at him and chuckled.

“Oh you poor sweet child. You don’t know anything, do you?” he asked. Sicheng blinked.

“Huh?” he replied. Ten chuckled before he leaned in, almost as if he was telling a secret he didn’t want others to hear.

“Kun funds this hospital. They know him, so they’re not going to check the surveillance if they see him coming in” he whispered. Sicheng blinked at him in shock before he slumped against the admission’s counter.

“Oh” he murmured. Ten chuckled and reached out, patting him on the arm.

“Don’t worry about it, kid” he assured before one of the officers called out to him. He glanced over at them before he looked back at Sicheng.

“I’ll see you later, ‘kay?” he stated before he turned and walked away. Sicheng looked at him before he sighed.

“I’m in over my head” he murmured.

~*~*~*~*~

Thankfully, Kun kept his word and didn’t bring Yangyang or Hendery back until about five weeks later when it was time for Sicheng to check on Hendery’s stitches. 

“Have you been checking it every day to make sure there’s no infections?” Sicheng asked as Kun led Hendery and Yangyang into one of the empty hospital rooms. 

“Yeah, and I haven’t seen anything” Kun replied. Sicheng nodded as he removed both Yangyang and Hendery’s bandages so that he could take a look at them. 

“It seems that your stiches healed nicely, so I can snip them” he declared as he took a small scissors and carefully cut the stitches in Hendery’s arm, carefully taking them out. Once they were removed, he rewrapped Hendery’s arm and made sure the dressings were secure before he looked over at Yangyang’s bullet graze.

“It’s scaring nicely. I’ll just redress it but after about another week or two, it should be good” he declared. Yangyang smiled at him.

“Really?” he asked. Sicheng nodded.

“Mmhm” he replied. Hendery shook his head.

“Sicheng-ge, you’re amazing” he murmured. Sicheng chuckled.

“No, I’ve just spent many years training for stuff like this” he explained as he finished dressing Yangyang’s graze before looking at the two men.

“All done” he declared. 

“Thank you, Sicheng” Kun thanked. Sicheng looked up at him and smiled.

“Just doing my job” he replied as Hendery and Yangyang walked out of the hospital room, Kun and Sicheng following them. When they reached the empty admissions desk, Kun turned to face Sicheng.

“I have a question” he started, making Sicheng raise an eyebrow.

“Yes?” he replied. Kun smiled.

“How would you like to join us?” he asked. Sicheng blinked.

“As in…join your triad?” he inquired. Kun nodded.

“We all like you and you’d fit in quite well” he explained. Sicheng looked at him before he chuckled and shook his head.

“While the offer is temping…” he started.

“You can also pay off all your student debt from undergrad and medical school if you join us” Kun added, smirking slightly. Sicheng blinked before his eyes widened slightly.

“Can I really –” he started. Kun nodded.

“Of course. I’ll have it payed off by tomorrow morning” he assured. Sicheng looked at him before he frowned.

“Will anything change? Or do I get to keep my job here at the hospital and finish out my residency?” he asked. Kun chuckled.

“Nothing will change. You still get to keep your job here; you just have to treat us anytime we get hurt” he explained. Sicheng gave him a look.

“Wasn’t I doing that already?” he asked. Hendery smiled.

“Yeah, but now that you’re one of us, no other triad can try and get treated by you. They’ll end up dead if they try” he explained. Sicheng frowned.

“But…what if I don’t know they’re another triad member? I’m a doctor, I’m just supposed to help people. I can’t just…not treat them if they’re not in the same triad as I am…that’s violating an oath that I took when I entered medical school” he stated. The five men looked at him before the tall young man with light tan skin, red hair, and brown eyes huffed.

“At least one of us has morals” he murmured. Xiaojun looked over at him and rolled his eyes.

“Lucas, you’re a medical examiner. You’re in the same boat as him” he reminded. The young man who had spoke first, Huang Xu Xi, known as Lucas, huffed.

“Not really. I just do autopsies before getting rid of the bodies. He’s out here saving lives” he stated. Sicheng held up a hand.

“Hey, hey, let’s just…calm down. No need to start any arguments. It’s too early in the morning for me to deal with that. Look, I have no problem treating you guys or being a part of your triad, but I’m not going to not treat someone just because they might be from a different triad. Doctors don’t get to make that decision; it’s our job to treat everybody. If you don’t like it, then find another doctor” he declared. Kun looked at him before he smirked and nodded.

“I knew I liked you from the first time I met you. Don’t compromise your morals for us. Your duty as a doctor to everyone comes before your duty as a doctor to us” he stated. Sicheng nodded.

“Then it’s settled” he declared before he heard the sounds of sirens approaching.

“Ah hell. Looks like we got an emergency; I gotta go. I’ll see you later” he bid before he rushed out of hospital and over to the gurney that was being taken out of the ambulance that parked itself outside the emergency room. Kun and the others watched him leave before they quietly turned and walked down the hall, slipping out of the emergency room.


	2. Sicheng Goes Undercover

A few months later, after Sicheng finished his residency, he saw Kun again, only this time he came alone and during the daytime during Sicheng’s day shift. 

“Sicheng” he greeted, startling the young man into spinning around and looking at the man.

“Kun!” he exclaimed softly. Kun chuckled.

“Sorry. I just wanted to ask you a question” he explained. Sicheng frowned.

“Can you walk and talk? I got a patient to check on” he stated. Kun nodded.

“Sure” he replied. Sicheng nodded and began walking, Kun walking beside him.

“So, what’s this oh so important, I came out of the shadows to see you in the daytime question you wanted to ask me?” Sicheng asked. Kun chuckled.

“Sarcastic this morning, aren’t we?” he teased. Sicheng stopped walking and turned to glare at him.

“Ask me the damn question, Kun. I don’t have time to joke right now” he snapped. Kun looked at him before he nodded.

“I was wondering if you would be willing to go undercover” he explained. Sicheng looked at him in shock.

“Excuse me?” he hissed before he shook his head.

“I don’t have time for this” he murmured as he turned and headed towards the room he was supposed to be heading to. 

“Sicheng—” Kun started when Sicheng spun around to glare at him.

“You will wait right here until I get back to properly talk to you about this” he hissed before he spun back around and walked into the room of a little girl who was brought in for a very bad case of stomach aches, which they found later out to be appendicitis. He stayed in that room for a few moments, checking on her and making sure she was feeling better after her surgery. After checking on her, he headed back outside, only to see Kun standing right where Sicheng left him. He then stormed over to him and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him down a quiet-ish hallway.

“What the hell do you mean, go undercover? I’m a doctor, Kun, I can’t just up and leave” he hissed. Kun smiled and shook his head.

“Don’t worry, I’ll have it all taken care of” he assured. Sicheng just gave him a look, making him sigh.

“Please, Sicheng, I need someone to infiltrate the Golden Dragons and you are the only person I can think of” he explained. Sicheng crossed his arms.

“Why me?” he asked. Kun shrugged.

“Well, the Golden Dragons are looking for a new doctor for their gang as well as a new medical examiner, so I thought I would send you and Lucas” he explained. Sicheng frowned.

“Won’t they be suspicious?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. Kun nodded.

“Probably. The Golden Dragons are known for being a rather…cruel mafia and are known for…eliminating recruits that they don’t deem fit for their family” he explained. Sicheng’s eyes widened.

“If you know that then why the fuck are you sending Lucas and I?” he demanded. Kun huffed.

“Because they have positions that you and Lucas can fill” he snapped. Sicheng narrowed his eyes.

“And what if I say no?” he asked. Kun chuckled, but it wasn’t a kind chuckle.

“You won’t; not unless you want your family to suffer” he stated. Sicheng growled.

“You wouldn’t” he snarled. Kun just gave him a look.

“Wouldn’t I?” he replied. Sicheng snarled.

“You bastard. Fine, I’ll do it. Just don’t touch my family” he pleaded. Kun smiled.

“I won’t. Just do what I ask and you’ll be fine” he assured. Sicheng huffed.

“When do we leave?” he asked. 

“When you finish your shift, go home and pack. A car will come by to pick you up and take you to the airport. And don’t worry, when you get to Seoul, someone will be waiting for you” Kun replied. Sicheng narrowed his eyes.

“I’m guessing you talking to the Golden Dragons about this…transfer?” he asked. Kun nodded.

“I spoke to Lee Taeyong, the boss. He knows” he replied. Sicheng looked at him before he sighed.

“Get out of here. I’ve got rounds” he murmured. Kun nodded.

“Thank you, Sicheng. You won’t regret this” he assured as he turned and headed down the hall. Sicheng watched him leave before he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“I already do” he grumbled before he turned and headed in the opposite direction to finish his rounds.

~*~*~*~*~

Later that evening, Sicheng packed all of his bags and stood outside his apartment, waiting for the car that Kun said was coming to get him. Five minutes later, a black car pulled up, making Sicheng sigh.

_‘I’m really doing this, aren’t I?’_ he thought to himself as he walked towards the car, the driver stepping out to help him put his bags in the trunk. After his bags were in the trunk, the driver got back into the driver’s seat while Sicheng slipped into the back, surprised to find Lucas already there.

“Oh, hey” he greeted. Lucas smiled at him.

“Hey Sicheng-ge” he replied. Sicheng huffed.

“You sure you want to do this?” he asked. Lucas gave him a look.

“Do we really have a choice?” he replied. Sicheng sighed.

“Unfortunately, no” he replied. Lucas nodded.

“Kun looks like a sweet guy, but he’s a crafty son of a bitch, I’ll give him that” he murmured. Sicheng nodded.

“No joke” he agreed. They soon arrived at the airport and got out of the car, both men heading inside the terminal. They then headed over to check-in, checking in their luggage while keeping their medical supplies on them, just in case something went wrong on the plane. After they checked in, they headed through security and after getting through security, headed to their gate. When they arrived, their plane was boarding, and Kun was gracious enough to get them first class, so they were some of the first people on the plane. 

~*~*~*~*~

After the plane ride, Sicheng and Lucas got off the plane and headed to the baggage claim, where they waited for their luggage. Once they grabbed it, they headed outside, looking around.

“Someone was supposed to come get us, right?” Lucas asked, looking over at Sicheng. 

“That’d be me, boys” a voice called out, making Sicheng and Lucas jump before looking over to see a tall young man with light skin, blonde hair, and brown eyes leaning against the wall of the terminal dressed in all black. The man then pushed himself off the wall and walked over to them, smiling slightly.

“Name’s Johnny Seo. And you must be…our new doctor and mortician, right?” he asked. Sicheng and Lucas nodded.

“Dong Sicheng and this is Huang Xu Xi” Sicheng introduced. 

“Please, call me Lucas” Lucas added. Johnny smiled again.

“Nice to meet you two. Come on, it’s getting late and the boss is _dying_ to meet you” he stated before he motioned towards a long black limo. Sicheng and Lucas looked at one another before they followed after Johnny, who easily picked up both their luggage and placed it into the trunk before getting in the driver’s seat, Lucas and Sicheng taking the backseat. Once they were all settled in, Johnny took off.

“You boys have a nice flight?” he asked, glancing back at them in the rearview mirror, only to find that they were both asleep. He chuckled softly to himself before he continued driving, heading to the Golden Dragon’s hideout.

~*~*~*~*~

When they arrived, Johnny parked the car in the driveway before gently tooting the horn, startling Sicheng and Lucas awake.

“Sorry boys. But we’re here” he declared. Lucas and Sicheng yawned before they opened the backseat and stepped out and walked around to the trunk, which Johnny was nice enough to open. They then took out their luggage before following Johnny into the large warehouse that served as the Golden Dragon’s hideout.

“Ignore the exterior. It’s the inside that count” Johnny explained as he led them inside. Once inside, Lucas and Sicheng’s eyes widened in shock.

“Holy shit” Sicheng whispered as he looked around; his eyes not believing the inside of the warehouse. It was modern, but everything was extravagant, something that he wasn’t used to seeing when growing up in China. 

“This way, boys; I’ll take you to your labs” Johnny stated, motioning for Sicheng and Lucas to follow him. They did follow him to what looked like a large morgue.

“Okay, so Lucas, this is your lab, since we do deal with dead bodies more than we deal with live ones. Sicheng, your office is right next door” Johnny explained, motioning to the room that adjacent to the morgue. Sicheng frowned and stepped forward, stepping through the swinging doors to find the most pristine and well-stocked doctor’s office he had ever seen.

“Oh wow…” he murmured.

“You like it?” Johnny asked. Sicheng looked back at him and nodded.

“It’s incredible” he whispered. Johnny smiled.

“Good” he replied before he turned to Lucas.

“What about you?” he asked. Lucas practically beamed at him.

“This is the biggest morgue I have ever worked in” he breathed. Johnny smiled.

“Well good. Taeyong wanted to make sure that you would enjoy working here” he explained.

“Are these the new doctors?” a voice called out, making Sicheng, Johnny, and Lucas turn to see a tall young man with light skin, long silver blonde hair, and brown eyes standing before them, arms crossed in front of his chest. 

“Taeyong. And yes, these are the new doctors” Johnny replied. Sicheng and Lucas froze as the man, Lee Taeyong, ran his eyes over them, almost as if he was studying them, seeing into their soul.

“Why are you here?” he asked. Sicheng frowned.

“I’m sorry?” he replied. Taeyong huffed.

“Why are you here? Why did Kun put you up to this? To spy on us?” he sneered. Sicheng and Lucas looked at him with wide eyes before Sicheng shook his head.

“No, he told us that you had positions open and were looking for someone to fill them. That’s all. We just want to help your team; we’re not here to spy” he assured. Taeyong scoffed.

“I highly doubt that. Kun’s a clever bastard; I know he wants information on my family and I know that he sent you two to be moles” he hissed. 

“Hey, Taeyong, they just got here. Give them a chance, will yah?” Johnny asked, standing up for Sicheng and Lucas, which both men were surprised by. Taeyong looked at him and huffed, just as there was a loud explosion from down the hall, followed by a high pitched scream. Everyone’s head whipped towards the sound and without second thought, Sicheng took off, running past Taeyong towards where he thought the explosion was. As he ran down the hall, he saw bright orange flames bellowing out of a room, causing him to let out a hiss. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a mask (which he always carried on him), slipping it on before covering his face and running into the flames. 

“Is anyone in here?” he shouted.

“HELP!” a voice cried back, causing Sicheng to run towards where he thought the cry was, only to find two young men, a tall young man with light skin, dark red-brown hair, and brown eyes and a tall young man with light skin, dirty blonde hair, and brown eyes, on the ground, the young man with the dirty blonde hair unconscious and trapped underneath a large piece of shrapnel, the young man with the red-brown hair trying desperately trying to remove the shrapnel off him.

“HELP!” the young man screamed again before breaking into a coughing fit.

“I’m here, I’m here!” Sicheng exclaimed, running over to him and looking at him with watery, burning eyes.

“I’ll help you get this off him” he promised. The young man looked at him with wide eyes before he nodded and soon both he and Sicheng were lifting the heavy shrapnel off the other young man. Once the shrapnel was off, the young man was kneeling down next to the other young man, shaking his shoulders.

“Jisung! Jisung, wake up!” he cried. Sicheng then reached out and grabbed his arm, yanking him to his feet.

“Get out of here! I’ll get him” he assured. The young man looked at him and nodded before taking off, running through what Sicheng thought was to be a large computer lab that somehow burst into flames. As soon as he was gone, Sicheng reached down and scooped the young man into his arms, princess carrying him through the burning lab, his lungs burning and eyes stinging the entire time. He continued to run through the lab until he could kind of see where the fire was bellowing out, so he ran towards the doors, bursting through them.

“SICHENG!” a voice shouted, causing him to blearily turn to see Johnny running towards him.

“Johnny” he croaked, his arms suddenly shaking with the young man’s weight. Johnny then reached out, taking the young man from his arms.

“I got him, I got him” he assured.

“You need…to get him to a hospital…get him looked at” Sicheng croaked before he collapsed to his knees, breaking out in a sudden coughing fit. He immediately ripped away the mask to try and get some oxygen into his lungs, but he found himself growing lightheaded as he continued to cough and cough and cough. 

“Sicheng-ge!” Lucas shouted as he ran over to him, kneeling down beside him.

“Sicheng-ge! Are you okay? Can you hear me?” he asked, gently shaking Sicheng’s shoulder. However, Sicheng couldn’t answer because he was still coughing, the smoke practically coating his throat and lungs.

“We need paramedics!” Lucas shouted, looking up at the other Golden Dragon members who had stepped out of their respective areas to see what was going on.

“Please, he’s going to suffocate if we don’t get oxygen into him! Someone call the paramedics!” he begged. Taeyong was quiet before he looked over at the tall young man with light skin, dark brown hair, and brown eyes who was standing next to him.

“Call 119” he ordered. The man nodded and pulled out his phone, just as Sicheng’s eyes suddenly fluttered shut and he collapsed, causing Lucas to scream.

“SICHENG-GE!” he screamed. Taeyong’s eyes widened before he looked over at the man.

“Tell them to step on it, Jaehyun” he hissed. The man, Jung Jaehyun, nodded and spoke into the phone, his voice a harsh, barking sound. Meanwhile, Lucas had rolled Sicheng onto his back and started doing chest compressions, switching to mouth-to-mouth every now and then before going back to chest compressions. 

“Sicheng-ge, come on! Come on, Sicheng!” he begged, just as the sounds of sirens could be heard. Soon, paramedics were surrounding him and Sicheng, the paramedics gently pushing him away before lifting Sicheng onto a gurney. Once he was on the gurney, they rushed him out of the warehouse, leaving Lucas on the ground, whimpering and running a hand through his hair. Johnny, meanwhile, took Sicheng’s advice and brought the young man over to one of the paramedics, who saw him and immediately placed him on a bed before putting a ventilator on him to try and get some oxygen in him.

“I’m going with him” the other young man declared, looking at the paramedics. The man wanted to argue, but he found that it would probably be a losing battle, so he sighed and let the young man hop into the ambulance and ride off with them. Once they were gone, all of the Golden Dragon members looked at Lucas, who was still running a hand through his hair and whimpering, before a tall young man with light skin, dark brown hair, and brown eyes by the name of Moon Taeil slowly walked over to him, reaching down to gently grasp Lucas’ arm. Lucas jumped and looked up at him with wide eyes, making Taeil chuckle and raise his hands in surrender.

“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. I just want to get you off the floor” he explained, his voice gentle. Lucas looked at him for a moment before he allowed himself to pulled to his feet.

“What a rough first day” Taeil murmured, guiding Lucas back to the morgue. Meanwhile, firefighters were putting out the fire in the computer room, standing at the door of the room and spraying water from their hose until the fire backed off a little, allowing them to step further inside and continue to put out the fire.

~*~*~*~*~

While they were putting out the fire, Taeyong looked over at Johnny.

“What the hell happened?” he hissed. Johnny shook his head.

“I don’t know. I would ask Chenle, but he went with the ambulance, so we would have to go to the hospital to ask him” he explained. Taeyong nodded slowly.

“Okay…I’ll send Doyoung and Yuta later on tonight to ask him what happened” he declared. Jaehyun, who was standing beside him, frowned. 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? They’re interrogators. I’m afraid they might…push him a little too hard. Why not ask Mark?” he asked. Taeyong shook his head.

“He’s out on a weapon’s deal” he replied. 

“Where’s Haechan? He’s the arsonist. Maybe he started the fire by accident” a tall young man with light skin, midnight blue hair, and brown eyes named Nakamoto Yuta murmured as he walked over to Taeyong, Jaehyun, and Johnny. Johnny shook his head.

“Donghyuck wouldn’t hurt Chenle and Jisung. Not even on accident” he replied. Taeyong pursed his lips as Yuta crossed his arms.

“Who was that the paramedics took just now? Besides Jisung of course” he asked. 

“Our new Doctor, Dr. Dong Sicheng, a transfer from Kun’s family” Taeyong replied. Yuta frowned.

“We got a new doctor?” he asked. Jaehyun nodded.

“And a new medical examiner. Huang Xu Xi” he added. Yuta hummed.

“Both Chinese…you think Kun is trying to pull something?” he asked. Johnny shrugged.

“Maybe. But…man the minute he heard that explosion go off, he took off like a shot. If he was Kun’s spy, I really don’t think he would try so hard to…save Chenle and Jisung” he explained. Taeyong huffed.

“It might just be a ruse…” he mused. Johnny fixed him with a look.

“Yeah, but what if it’s not? Just give them a chance, Taeyong. I really don’t think they’re trying to spy on us; hell, Sicheng practically lost his life trying to save our boys” he snapped. Taeyong looked at him before he sighed.

“Fine” he agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	3. Taeyong Apologizes

Later on that evening, Sicheng woke up to find himself in a hospital bed, hooked up to a ventilator to help him breathe, since he was caught in a burning computer lab. 

“So, you finally woke up” a voice called from the shadows, making him start and look over to see Taeyong stepping out from where he was leaning up against one of the walls in his room. Sicheng watched as Taeyong slowly made his way over to him, sighing as he looked down at the young doctor.

“I suppose I should…apologize” he stated. Sicheng just raised an eyebrow at him, since you know, with a ventilator in his mouth he couldn’t exactly talk. Taeyong sighed.

“For treating you like I did. You just arrived and I was already treating you rudely” he explained. Sicheng just weakly raised his hand and waved it. Taeyong gave him a look.

“No, it’s not fine; I shouldn’t have treated you like that. I know I have a reputation to be cruel but I was just being rude” he continued before he sighed.

“I also wanted to come and thank you” he stated. Sicheng raised an eyebrow again, making Taeyong chuckle.

“For saving Chenle and Jisung. You don’t even really know them and yet you saved them” he explained. Sicheng shrugged, making Taeyong huff.

“It’s a pretty big deal, Sicheng” he argued before he sighed.

“I should let you get some rest. I’m sure you’re exhausted” he stated. Sicheng nodded slightly, causing Taeyong’s lips to curl up in a smile.

“Alright then, get some rest. The boys will be over tomorrow to check on you and maybe introduce themselves. I know Chenle wants to meet you and thank you for saving Jisung” he stated. Sicheng nodded as Taeyong turned and headed over to the door, slipping out.

~*~*~*~*~

The next morning, when Sicheng awoke, the nurses came to check on him, deeming him okay to breathe without the ventilator. They then removed the ventilator and after they left, the tall young man with red-brown hair burst into his hospital room and ran over to his bed, throwing his arms around Sicheng.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you” he panted, giving Sicheng a squeeze. Sicheng blinked before he smiled and reached up, gently patting the young man’s back. The young man then pulled away, flashing a teary smile.

“I’m Zhong Chenle. Nice to meet you” he greeted. Sicheng smiled and dipped his head.

“Seems like Lele got here before us” a voice called, making Chenle and Sicheng look over to see Johnny and the other members of the Golden Dragons standing in the hospital room.

“Hyung” Chenle greeted, quickly walking over to Johnny before throwing his arms around him. Johnny hugged him tightly while looking at Sicheng.

“Thank you for saving Lele” he thanked. Sicheng waved his hand. Johnny huffed.

“Throat hurt?” he asked. Sicheng nodded.

“That’s why we brought you this” a tall young man with light skin, black hair, and brown eyes named Kim Jungwoo stated, walking forward to hand Sicheng a white board and a marker. Sicheng smiled and took the white board, quickly uncapping the pen before writing something down.

_Thank you_

Johnny smiled and nodded.

“No problem” he replied. Sicheng then frowned.

_Where’s Lucas?_

“Home, with Taeyong. He’s still kind of shaken up” Jaehyun explained. Johnny then flashed a smile.

“Don’t worry, Taeyong will bring him by later to see you” he assured. Sicheng nodded as Jaehyun crossed his arms and cleared his throat.

“I think some introductions are in order. I’m Jung Jaehyun, the Golden Dragon’s Underboss” he introduced before he motioned to Johnny.

“You already know Johnny. He’s the muscles of the group” he continued.

“I prefer bodyguard, thanks” Johnny replied. Jaehyun smirked and rolled his eyes before he motioned to the tall young man with light skin, dark brown hair, and brown eyes.

“This is Moon Taeil, our sniper. He’s a deadly shot” he stated. Taeil smiled kindly at Sicheng, making Sicheng feel safe, even though he was also sort of afraid at the same time. Jaehyun then pointed to the two men next to Taeil, a tall young man with light skin, black hair, and brown eyes and another tall young man with light skin, midnight blue hair, and brown eyes.

“Kim Doyoung and Nakamoto Yuta, our interrogators” he introduced. Sicheng dipped his head to them, both men dipping their heads back. Sicheng got a vibe from them that made his skin crawl; he felt like he was going to be patching up a lot of bodies after those two got done with them. 

“And this is Kim Jungwoo. Our Liaison” Jaehyun stated, motioning to the young man who handed Sicheng the white board. Jungwoo smiled brightly at Sicheng and Sicheng could feel the corners of his mouth turning up in a smile.

“You’ll meet the others, but right now, they’re checking on Jisung” Jaehyun stated. Sicheng frowned.

_Others?_

Chenle looked at him and nodded.

“Mmhm. My team members, Lee Donghyuck, Mark Lee, Huang Renjun, Na Jaemin, Lee Jeno, and Park Jisung. We’re known as the Dream Team or the Dreamies” he explained. Sicheng nodded slowly in understanding as Taeil crossed his arms.

“How are you feeling? You scared your friend pretty badly when you passed out” he stated. Sicheng shrugged before he coughed.

“I feel better” he croaked.

“You should save your voice, kid” Johnny instructed. Sicheng frowned.

“But if I don’t use it, then I’ll permanently won’t be able to use it” he argued. 

“Take it easy then” Doyoung suggested. Sicheng nodded before he coughed again. Chenle quickly walked away from Johnny and over to the cup with the straw in it, taking it and holding it out to Sicheng.

“Drink Sicheng-ge” he instructed. Sicheng nodded and took a couple of sips before he let out a sigh.

“Thank you” he thanked, just as Johnny cleared his throat.

“Sicheng. The Dreamies want to say hi. We’ll give you so space, ‘kay?” he asked. Sicheng nodded and waited for Johnny to lead the others out while five young men, barely over twenty, stepped into the room.

“Hi” Sicheng greeted weakly. 

“Are you okay, hyung?” a tall young man with light skin, brown hair, and brown eyes asked. Sicheng nodded.

“I’m fine” he assured as Chenle motioned to the young man who just spoke.

“Sicheng-ge, this is Mark Lee. He’s our weapon’s supplier” he introduced. Mark smiled and waved as Chenle motioned to the tall young man with light tan skin, red hair, and brown eyes next to him.

“Our arsonist and ace, Lee Donghyuck” he continued. Donghyuck smiled.

“You can call me Haechan” he offered. Sicheng nodded as Chenle pointed to the last three men, a tall young man with light skin, dark brown hair, and brown eyes, a tall young man with light skin, black hair, and brown eyes, and a tall young man with light skin, blue hair, and brown eyes.

“And finally, our soldiers, Na Jaemin, Lee Jeno, and Huang Renjun” he finished. Sicheng nodded to them, the three of them flashing him smiles, before he looked at Chenle.

“What do you and Jisung do?” he croaked. Chenle grinned.

“Jisung and I are hackers. Probably the best in all of Asia” he declared proudly. Sicheng nodded before he smiled weakly.

“Nice to meet you all” he declared. The others bowed to him, making his eyes widened; it was a little weird having people bow to him.

“How’s…what’s his name? Jisung?” he asked. Renjun nodded.

“He’s doing okay. A few minor burns and he’s like you, smoke inhalation, but other than that, he’s okay” he assured. 

“It’s all thanks to you, Sicheng-ge” Chenle declared. Sicheng waved his hand.

“Just doing my job. I’m a doctor, it’s literally in my blood to save people” he stated.

“And a damn good thing too” a voice called out, making everyone turn and look to see Johnny stepping into the room.

“Just wanted to let you know that we’re gonna head out. You need your rest” he stated before he looked at the boys.

“Come on boys, let’s let Sicheng rest. He’ll be back with us soon” he assured. The others nodded and followed Johnny out of the room; Johnny pausing to look back at Sicheng and flash him a smile before waving goodbye. Sicheng waved goodbye before he let out a sigh. These guys didn’t seem all that bad, despite what Kun said. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Later that evening, Lucas and Taeyong arrived at the hospital and walked into Sicheng’s hospital room, only to find Sicheng fast asleep. Both men walked over to the sleeping doctor, Lucas reaching out to take Sicheng’s hand.

“I’m sorry Sicheng-ge…you shouldn’t have gotten involved with people like us” he whispered. 

“You mean 威神V?” Taeyong asked, voice gentle and not like how he had spoken to them when they first met. Lucas looked over at him, eyes wide, and Taeyong chuckled.

“I know you’re here to spy on us. That would explain why Kun sent you” he explained. Lucas blinked.

“You’re…you’re not mad?” he asked. Taeyong sighed.

“Do you think I should be?” he replied. Lucas shrugged.

“I don’t know…I don’t really know what to expect from you, to be very honest” he admitted. Taeyong smiled.

“I won’t kill you, if that’s what you’re afraid of” he stated gently. Lucas blinked in surprised.

“Really?” he whispered. Taeyong shrugged.

“You both seem like good kids. I’d hate to waste your talent” he stated. Lucas blushed before he dipped his head.

“Thank you” he thanked. Taeyong shrugged again.

“Sure” he replied. Lucas then frowned.

“Do you know when Sicheng-ge can…come back?” he asked. Taeyong nodded.

“He and Jisung should be released tomorrow afternoon” he replied. Lucas let out a breath of relief.

“That’s good” he murmured before he looked at Taeyong.

“Do you know…how the lab caught on fire?” he asked. Taeyong shook his head.

“No…but I don’t think it was sabotage. Chenle and Jisung have been running their computers non-stop for a few days…it could just be an electrical shortage in the wiring. It happens sometimes” he explained. Lucas hummed before he looked back at Sicheng, who was sleeping peacefully in his hospital bed. Taeyong was quiet was he studied Lucas before he smiled slightly.

“You seem to really care about him, considering you haven’t known him for very long” he mused. Lucas looked over at him and smiled slightly.

“Heh…yeah, I guess” he murmured. Taeyong then smiled fondly.

“You’re a good friend, Lucas” he praised. Lucas smiled.

“Thank you” he thanked. Taeyong smiled again before he cleared his throat.

“I think we should go…we’ll see him tomorrow” he assured. Lucas nodded and let go of Sicheng’s hand before he and Taeyong both turned and headed out of the room, letting Sicheng rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	4. Sicheng & Jisung Go Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Lots of blood in this chapter as they are doing an autopsy (and it's a very accurate and detailed one as I have witnessed a real-life autopsy while working as a death scene investigator intern)

The next afternoon, just like Taeyong said, both Sicheng and Jisung were released from the hospital. As they were heading towards the front of the hospital, where Johnny was supposed to pick them up, Sicheng looked over at Jisung.

“How are you feeling?” he asked. Jisung looked over at him with wide eyes before he blushed and lowered his gaze.

“Um…a little stiff, but I feel better” he replied. Sicheng smiled nodded.

“Good” he agreed. The two then continued to walk towards the exit before Jisung looked over at him.

“Hyung…thank you” he whispered. Sicheng looked back at him and smiled.

“Of course” he replied before he reached and gently grabbed Jisung’s shoulder, making the young man stop and look at him.

“If you ever feel unwell, you come to me, okay?” he instructed. Jisung nodded.

“Okay hyung” he replied. Sicheng smiled as he let go of Jisung’s shoulder and gently placed a hand on his back, both of them walking out of the hospital to see Johnny and Chenle waiting for them.

“Chenle!” Jisung exclaimed, running over to the young man. Both men hugged each other tightly, Chenle burying his face in Jisung’s neck. While they were reuniting, Johnny looked over at Sicheng.

“How you doing, kid?” he asked. Sicheng nodded.

“Good. My chest doesn’t feel so tight and I haven’t really coughed at all lately” he replied. Johnny nodded.

“That’s good. The others are anxiously awaiting you and Jisung back at headquarters, so let’s head back, hm?” he asked. Sicheng nodded and walked over to Chenle and Jisung, gently tapping Jisung on the back.

“Come on, we’re heading back” he murmured. Chenle and Jisung pulled away from each other, immediately connecting their hands and interlocking their fingers. Sicheng smiled fondly and gently pushed them forward towards Johnny’s car. 

~*~*~*~*~

When Jisung, Johnny, Chenle, and Sicheng arrived back at the base, they were quickly greeted by Taeyong and Jaehyun.

“Good to have you back, Sungie” Jaehyun greeted, gently ruffling Jisung’s hair. Jisung smiled and blushed as Taeyong smiled at Sicheng.

“You too, Winwin” he added. Sicheng blinked.

“Winwin?” he repeated. Taeyong shrugged.

“I thought it was cute. It suits you” he replied. Sicheng smiled.

“I like it. Thank you” he thanked. Taeyong smiled and nodded before he motioned inside. 

“Come on, you got work to do. Doyoung and Yuta are interrogating someone and we might need you to fix them up if they don’t give us what we want” he stated. Sicheng nodded.

“Understood” he replied before he quickly headed to his office. Once he was gone, Jaehyun guided Jisung and Chenle inside, leaving Johnny and Taeyong alone.

“You’ve grown soft, boss” Johnny teased. Taeyong glanced over at him.

“Have I?” he replied. Johnny nodded.

“But it suits you. I think Lucas and Sicheng’s addition will be good for you. For all of us” he stated before he walked off. Taeyong watched him walk away before he huffed.

“Maybe” he agreed before he walked off to do some paperwork.

~*~*~*~*~

When Sicheng walked into his office, he noticed that Lucas wasn’t at his desk (that was the only part of the clinic and the morgue that was connected), so he walked over to the door and pushed it open, only to see Lucas working on a body.

“Busy already?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. Lucas looked up at him and smiled.

“Heh, yeah. Apparently, Doyoung and Yuta have a list of people that they’re going through for questioning. If they don’t survive their interrogation, they come to me. If they do, they come to you. But from what Taeil told me, no one survives their interrogations. So I’ll be up to my elbows in bodies and blood” he explained. Sicheng hummed.

“Want some help? I’m sure it can’t be that hard” he mused. Lucas looked at him before he shrugged.

“If you’re up for it. Scrub in” he ordered. Sicheng nodded, quickly heading out of the morgue and into his office, changing into his scrubs and surgical gown. He then walked back into the morgue and Lucas motioned to the box of gloves.

“Two pairs; one short one and one long pair” he instructed. Sicheng nodded and slipped on one pair of short gloves before slipping on another pair of gloves that went up to his mid-arm, placing arm coverings over his arms.

“Mask and hair covering” Lucas ordered. Sicheng quickly slipped on a mask before slipping on a hair covering, making Lucas look up at him.

“You all covered?” he asked. Sicheng nodded and Lucas motioned to the other body.

“Wait over there. I’m almost done here” he stated as he finished taking out the body’s internal organs and placing them into a bin before scooping out the blood and other fluids from the internal cavity of the corpse. Once he did that, he walked over to a scale and took out each organ, weighing them individually before writing down their weight on a white board. After he wrote down the weight, he took out each organ and sliced them open with a breadknife, checking to see if there was anything out of the ordinary inside. When he found nothing, he sliced the organs into small slices with a breadknife knife, taking a small piece of each organ and placing it into a jar of formalin so that he could study the tissues later (even though he didn’t need to). After he did that, he placed all the sliced organs back into the bloody bin before placing the cut ribcage back into place, almost like a puzzle piece, and placed the torso skin back, sewing up the Y-incision. Once he was done, he took off his old gloves and threw them away before slipping into new pairs of gloves, walking over to Sicheng when he was done.

“Alright, so what we’re going to do is we’re first going to place the head on the head rest, so that it’s elevated” he instructed. Sicheng nodded and took the plastic headrest, propping it underneath the body’s head. Lucas nodded. 

“Nice. So next what we’re going to do is do a “Y-incision” on the torso” he instructed. Sicheng nodded and took the scalpel that Lucas was holding out to him, creating an almost perfect “Y-incision” on the body’s torso.

“Okay, then slowly cut the skin and muscle away from the ribcage. Can’t cut that out if we’ve got skin in the way” Lucas stated. As Sicheng began to slowly and carefully cut the skin away from the ribs, he paused and looked up at Lucas.

“Hey, Lucas, why are we doing this if they just want the bodies incinerated?” he asked, frowning. Lucas looked back at him.

“I’m doing a final check; just to make sure that these bodies aren’t hiding anything, like swallowed secret codes or messages” he replied before he reached out and grabbed a pair of rib cutters, handing them to Sicheng.

“What the hell is this?!” Sicheng exclaimed. 

“Rib cutters. Now, what you want to do is this—” Lucas started before he pulled the skin that Sicheng had nicely cut away from the ribs, opening the torso like a book, motioning to the sides of the rib cage.

“You’re gonna wanna cut here” he instructed. Sicheng blinked before he took the cutters and cut where Lucas instructed. He continued to cut, the sound a little unnerving for someone who had only ever worked on living people, until he had cut the top of the rib cage off. After he did that, he put the rib cage away and stepped back.

“I don’t know if I can…cut out the organs” he murmured. Lucas shook his head.

“Don’t worry about it, this job isn’t for everyone” he replied before he took a scalpel and sliced out all the internal organs. After he did that, he placed all the organs into a clean bin before taking a ladle and scooped out all the remaining blood inside the body. Sicheng made a gagging noise, making Lucas look up at him.

“You okay?” he asked. Sicheng nodded.

“Yeah, I’m fine, I just have to get used to this. It’s a lot different than working on a living person” he explained. Lucas shrugged.

“The principal’s still the same. The difference is that they’re just dead. Not that their lives don’t mean something, because they were someone’s partner, child, parent, grandparent, grandkid, etc., but still” he explained. Once he cleaned out the inside, he grabbed the bone saw and walked over to the plug, plugging it in. He then looked over at Sicheng and smiled.

“Hope you don’t mind the sound, Sicheng-ge” he stated before he turned on the bone saw and walked over to the body, carefully cutting a perfect circle atop the head. As he cut, blood poured from the cranium, covering the exam table below with blood.

“Oh my god” Sicheng murmured as Lucas finished cutting the circle. He then turned off the bone saw and put it aside before grabbing a hammer with a hook and a skull chisel, gently tapping the chisel into the cut he made and once the skull split, he used the hook part of the hammer and pulled the top of the head away. Sicheng blinked as Lucas then put the hammer and chisel down before he reached in and gently pulled the brain out of the skull. He then put that into the bin along with the other organs and grabbed a large sponge, sopping up the blood that spill from the skull. He then used the hook from the back of the hammer and removed whatever internal tissue was stuck to the inside of the brain, sticking that with the other organs. 

“Okay, now that that’s done, let’s remove the tongue and throat” he declared before he walked over to the mouth, opening it only to let out a groan.

“Fucking seriously” he grumbled. Sicheng frowned.

“What?” he asked.

“They cut out his tongue! I need it to complete the autopsy” Lucas exclaimed. Sicheng frowned.

“But we’re just burning the bodies when we’re done…is the tongue really important?” he asked. 

“Either I get the whole body, or I don’t finish the autopsy” Lucas replied. Sicheng sighed.

“Alright, I’ll see if I can find the tongue” he murmured before he turned and walked out of the morgue, through the shared office, and out the door. He then looked around, still a little lost.

“Winwin?” a voice called out, making Sicheng look over to see Taeil smiling at him.

“Oh, Taeil hyung” he greeted, walking over to Taeil, who eyed him up and down.

“Helping out with Lucas, I see” he stated, motioning to Sicheng’s bloody gloves and blood splattered gown. Sicheng glanced down before he nodded.

“Ah, yeah. Do you know where Doyoung and Yuta are?” he asked. Taeil smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, they’re through there” he stated, pointing to the door to Sicheng’s right.

“They’re in the middle of an interrogation now, but I’m sure that they won’t mind you barging in” he continued. Sicheng smiled.

“Thanks hyung” he thanked before he turned and headed towards the door, taking off one bloody glove before turning the door handle, stepping inside to see Doyoung and Yuta surrounding a man intimidatingly; a knife in Yuta’s hand as Doyoung held the man’s tongue in his gloved hand.

“Yah, yah, yah!” he exclaimed, making Doyoung and Yuta look over at him; their eyes cold.

“What are you doing here?” Doyoung demanded. 

“Looking for a tongue” Sicheng replied. Yuta frowned.

“Why?” he asked. Sicheng huffed.

“Lucas needs it” he stated. Doyoung frowned.

“Why? We’re just burning the bodies when we’re done with them” he stated. Sicheng sighed.

“I know that, but Lucas said that if he doesn’t have all the pieces, he’s not finishing the autopsy” he replied. Yuta frowned as well.

“Why is he doing an autopsy?” he asked. Sicheng threw his hands in the air.

“I’m not the medical examiner; I’m just the doctor! You wanna play 20 Questions with Lucas, have at it! Just tell me where the fucking tongue is” he snapped. Doyoung and Yuta blinked in shock before they pointed to a metal bucket in the corner of the room. Sicheng huffed and walked over to the bucket, nearly gagging at the sight of severed tongues and fingers, some of them starting to decay.

“Fucking seriously?” he grumbled before he picked up the bucket and headed towards the door. He then stopped and turned towards the man in the chair between Doyoung and Yuta, pointing at him.

“Fucking tell them what they need to know or your tongue and fingers are ending up in this bucket and your body is going to our morgue to be cut up and BURNED. Got it?” he spat before he turned and headed back out, slamming the door behind him. Yuta and Doyoung looked towards the door before they looked back at the man trembling before them.

“You heard the good doctor. Talk or you won’t be able to anymore” Yuta snarled, brandishing the knife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!
> 
> Also, I know this goes without saying, but if you ever find a fic of mine on another fanfiction website, please let me know so that I can take care of it or please contact the staff of that website and let them know that the story as been stolen because I never give anyone permission to repost my work anywhere and I only allow translations of my work.  
> Thank you!


	5. Sicheng Meets His Roomate and Checks on Jaemin

When Sicheng walked back into the morgue, he walked in just in time to see Lucas closing up the body.

“You get the tongue?” he asked, not looking up from the body.

“Yeah, I got it” Sicheng grumbled, walking over to him and placing the bucket on the exam table. Lucas looked up and wrinkled his nose.

“Gross” he grumbled. Sicheng huffed.

“Tell me about it” he replied before he placed his hands on his hips.

“We have an incinerator in this place or we gonna have to go out and do it?” he asked. Lucas shook his head. 

“Nah, we got one. Follow me” he stated, motioning for Sicheng to follow him as they both walked over to a heavy looking metal door. Lucas then opened the door, revealing a what looked like a cremator.

“We just gotta put the bodies in a box, send ‘em through the cremator and then “poof”; no more bodies” he declared. Sicheng huffed.

“All that work just to cremate a body” he murmured. Lucas shrugged.

“It’s a job. Keeps me busy. And if we find something useful inside the body, then it wasn’t a waste of time” he replied before he walked over to one of the finished bodies.

“Come on, help me with his” he grumbled. Sicheng nodded and walked over to the body, both he and Lucas pushing the examination table over to the incinerator, both men grunting as they pulled the body from the examination table and put him into a wooden box. Once he was in the box, they both bent down and lifted the box, placing it onto the metal tray that led into the incinerator. Lucas then pulled the lever, both he and Sicheng watched as the metal tray slid into the incinerator, the door to the furnace shutting behind it as fire soon surrounded and consumed the box.

“One down, two to go” Lucas murmured. Sicheng sighed.

“Let’s get to it then” he grumbled. Lucas nodded and both men walked over to the next body, picking it up before carrying it over to another wooden box, placing it inside before sliding the lid onto it, shutting it. They then picked up the box, placed it onto the metal tray, and this time Sicheng pulled the lever, watching as the box slid into the incinerator, the door to the furnace shutting behind it as fire soon surrounded and consumed the box. 

“Alright…one more body” Sicheng huffed. Lucas nodded and they quickly went through the motions of grabbing the body, putting it in the box, and then placed it in the furnace. After burning the last body, Lucas huffed.

“Alright, glad that’s over with” he murmured. Sicheng nodded.

“Now what?” he asked. Lucas sighed.

“Well, now we just have to hose everything down and then change out of these clothes” he replied. Sicheng nodded and walked over to the sink, turning on the tap that was connected to a long hose. He then took the hose and sprayed down the tables, Lucas doing the same for the other two. Once everything was sprayed down, not just the tables but the floor too, Sicheng and Lucas turned off the tap and let out sighs. 

“Let’s hope there’s no bodies…” Sicheng murmured. Lucas nodded.

“Yeah…my arms hurt” he grumbled. Sicheng huffed and shook his head.

“I don’t know how you do this every day…” he murmured as he and Lucas headed for the entrance of the morgue.

“It’s not that hard; it’s pretty consistent. You, on the other hand, I don’t know how you deal with all those different patients every day. They all have different cases, different needs…it’s amazing” Lucas praised. Sicheng shrugged.

“You just learn over time, that’s all” he replied as he and Lucas stepped out of the morgue, only to come face to face with Jungwoo.

“Oh, Jungwoo” Lucas greeted. Jungwoo smiled.

“Hi. Just wanted to see how things were going” he explained. Lucas smiled.

“We’re good. Just finished burning the last body” he replied. Jungwoo blinked; his eyes wide.

“Really? Was it hard?” he asked. Lucas shook his head.

“Nah, I had Sicheng-ge’s help” he replied. Jungwoo smiled and nodded before he motioned to Lucas’s outfit.

“You look like you need a shower” he teased. Lucas blushed before he nodded.

“Ah, yeah” he replied. Sicheng looked between the two before he smiled.

“I’ll give you guys a moment” he stated, walking away from Jungwoo and Lucas, only to bump into Jeno.

“Jeno” he greeted. Jeno smiled slightly at him.

“Hey hyung. Are you busy?” he asked. Sicheng frowned.

“I’m about to go change out of these clothes and take a shower, why?” he asked. Jeno sighed.

“Nana’s not feeling that great. It might just be a cold, but I don’t really know that much about colds and viruses and bugs. I just know about how to do…well, whatever it is the hell I’m doing” he replied. Sicheng chuckled.

“Let me shower and change and I’ll go check on him, okay?” he offered. Jeno nodded before he looked at Sicheng.

“Do you want me to show you your room? Lucas was shown his, but you weren’t shown yours, since you know, you were in the hospital” he stated. Sicheng frowned.

“I’m not rooming with Lucas?” he asked as Jeno motioned for him to follow him. Jeno shook his head.

“That was the original plan, but Jungwoo actually asked to room with him. You’re rooming with Yuta hyung” he stated as they headed upstairs to the rooms. Sicheng frowned.

“You mean the interrogator?” he asked. Jeno hummed and nodded.

“Yup, that’s the one” he replied. Sicheng hummed as he and Jeno headed to his room, Jeno motioning to it. 

“Here’s your room. Nana and my room is just two doors down on your right if you’re facing your door” he stated. Sicheng looked over at him and smiled.

“Thank you” he thanked before he turned the knob and opened the door, finding Yuta inside; lying on his bed and playing on his phone. He then looked over and when he saw Sicheng, he smirked.

“So, you’ve finally come” he greeted. Sicheng huffed as he stepped through the door, shutting it behind him.

“I just came to shower and change. I have to go check on Nana, whoever that is; Jeno said he’s not feeling too great” he stated as he headed over to his bed, where his suitcase was laying. Yuta hummed.

“Nana is Jaemin. That’s his nickname” he stated before he went back to playing on his phone.

“So, did that guy tell you what you wanted to hear?” Sicheng asked as he opened his suitcase and began looking for a change of clothes. Yuta chuckled and nodded as he looked over at him.

“Yeah, your little impromptu burst into the room really helped. Your bloody outfit and outburst scared anything and everything out of his mouth, so thanks for that” he thanked. Sicheng smirked.

“Glad I could be of assistance. What did you do with him?” he asked. Yuta shrugged.

“Once he told us what we needed, I had Doyoung take him out back. What he did with him, I have no idea” he replied. Sicheng shuddered before he grabbed his clothes and towel, heading to their shared bathroom. He quickly showered and changed into his new clothes, feeling much better after getting rid of the blood and morgue smell. When he stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in his new clothes, Yuta looked up and smirked.

“You look good” he stated. Sicheng blushed.

“Thanks” he thanked before he threw his clothes into a hamper on his side of the room. After doing that, he reached into his suitcase, pulling out a box of gloves, a box of masks, and a stethoscope. 

“You packed all of that?” Yuta asked, sitting up when he saw what Sicheng was pulling out of his suitcase. Sicheng glanced up at him and nodded.

“Yeah. I’m a doctor after all” he replied. Yuta hummed as Sicheng put on his mask and put the stethoscope around his neck, shoving the gloves into his pocket.

“I’ll be back; gonna go check on Jaemin” he stated. Yuta waved.

“I’ll be here” he replied. Sicheng smirked (even though half of his face was covered) before he headed out the door and headed to Jeno’s room, knocking on the door. Jeno soon opened it, smiling.

“Hey, Sicheng hyung. Thanks for coming” he thanked. Sicheng nodded.

“Well, this is what I was hired to do, so…no problem” he replied as Jeno stepped aside, allowing him inside. He then walked over to Jaemin’s bed, looking down at the man who was looking up at him with slightly glazed eyes.

“How are you feeling?” he asked. Jaemin shrugged before he coughed. 

“I don’t feel…horrible, but my head feels like it’s been put in a hydraulic press and my nose is stuffed and I’m coughing” he replied. Sicheng hummed before he took off his stethoscope and reached for Jaemin’s shirt.

“You mind if I—” he started when Jaemin waved a hand.

“Do what you have to do” he croaked. Sicheng nodded and slipped the head underneath Jaemin’s shirt, placing it on his chest.

“Okay, breathe deeply” he instructed. Jaemin did as he was instructed and breathed deeply, Sicheng hearing a slight rattling in his chest. He moved the head of the stethoscope around, instructing Jaemin to breathe deeply every time. It was rattily all around his chest so he then had Jaemin sit up so that he could hear what it sounded like when he had the head on his back. 

“Okay, I do hear a little rattling in your chest…” he murmured before he looked at Jaemin.

“Would you be willing to come down to my office? I have more equipment there to properly check you out” he stated. Jaemin nodded.

“Yeah, sure” he croaked as he pushed himself to his feet. Sicheng pulled out a glove before holding out his hand to Jaemin, helping him out of bed. Both men then headed out of the room, heading downstairs to Sicheng’s office, Jaemin hopping up on the exam table. Sicheng then walked over to his coat rack, putting on the other glove before grabbing his doctor’s coat, slipping it on. He then grabbed the thermometer and held it up to Jaemin’s forehead, looking at it. 

“Hmm…low-grade fever” he murmured, placing it down before grabbing a tongue depressor and an ophthalmoscope.

“Okay, open wide” he instructed. Jaemin opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out slightly (he had checkups before, he knew the drill), allowing Sicheng to gently press the tongue depressor on his tongue and shine the light from the ophthalmoscope into his mouth. He noticed that the back of his throat was slightly inflamed but other than that, nothing else looked out of place. He then threw the tongue depressor out of the way before holding the ophthalmoscope up.

“I’m just gonna check your eyes now” he stated. Jaemin nodded and allowed Sicheng to do the normal eye test; shine the light in his eyes before telling him to follow the light in different directions. After that test, he hummed.

“Your eyes do look a little glazed, but that’s just a symptom of being sick. Your throat’s also a little inflamed but I want to do one more check, okay?” he asked. Jaemin nodded as Sicheng put down the ophthalmoscope before reaching out, gently pressing all around his neck and throat.

“Yeah, there’s a bit of swelling there. So, you say that you have head congestion, your body aches, and from what I can tell, your throat’s inflamed. You also have a low-grade fever which means you probably have the flu. I can prescribe some Tamiflu and have one of the boys pick it up for you, but until this fever breaks or goes down, I’m putting you on bed rest. You’re not to go on any runs until you’re feeling better. Do you understand?” he asked. Jaemin nodded.

“Yeah” he replied. Sicheng nodded before he walked over to his desk, grabbing a prescription pad, quickly writing a prescription for the flu medication before tearing off the sheet.

“Who should I give this to? I don’t really know any hospitals or pharmacies around here” he stated. Jaemin hummed before he coughed.

“Um…you could try and give it to Taeyong hyung” he replied. Sicheng nodded.

“Alright, I’ll go find him, you go upstairs and rest. I’ll let Jeno know how to make sure you’re comfortable” he stated. Jaemin nodded and smiled before he hopped off the exam table and walked out of the office, Sicheng following him. 

“Get better, Jaemin” Sicheng bid. Jaemin looked over at him and smiled.

“I’m sure I’ll get better real fast, thanks to you, hyung” he replied before he turned and headed back to the elevator that led to the upstairs bedrooms. Sicheng huffed before he turned and headed down the hall to where he thought Taeyong’s office was. He soon found it and knocked on the door, removing his mask and gloves after doing so.

“Come in” a voice called out. Sicheng opened the door and poked his head in to see Taeyong sitting at his desk, working on some paperwork. When he heard the door open, Taeyong lifted his head and when he saw Sicheng, he smiled.

“Ah, Winwin. Come in” he instructed. Sicheng stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him before he walked over to Taeyong’s desk.

“What can I do for you?” Taeyong asked. Sicheng held out the prescription slip, which Taeyong took.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“Jaemin’s prescription for Tamiflu. He’s got the flu and I put him on bedrest until he gets better. Either you call in this medication or give me the phone number of a nearby pharmacy and I’ll do it myself. Either way, Jaemin’s out of commission until he gets better” Sicheng declared. Taeyong huffed.

“Damn it, I was going to hand out assignments tomorrow…one less man to do a job” he murmured. Sicheng shook his head.

“Sorry, but I don’t want him collapsing on the job and I don’t think you do either” he stated. Taeyong nodded.

“You’re right” he agreed before he sighed.

“I’ll call in the prescription. Will you pick it up tomorrow?” he asked. Sicheng nodded.

“Sure. But if you don’t mind, I’m going to head up to bed. If you said you’re handing out assignments tomorrow, that means I’m going to be busy. I need my sleep” he stated. Taeyong smiled.

“Sure. Sleep well, Winwin” he bid. Sicheng smiled and nodded, turning to head out the door before he stopped and looked back at Taeyong.

“You should get some sleep too, hyung. It’s late” he stated. Taeyong blinked in surprise before he chuckled and nodded.

“Alright” he agreed. Sicheng nodded and turned, heading out of the office, leaving Taeyong smiling to himself at his desk.

~*~*~*~*~

Sicheng headed back up to his and Yuta’s room, opening the door to find Yuta still on his phone.

“You’re still up?” he asked. Yuta glanced up from his phone and nodded.

“Well yeah. Had to make sure you got back alright” he replied. Sicheng blinked before he yawned.

“Well, I’m back. And I’m freaking tired” he grumbled. Yuta huffed.

“I bet. You had like what…three bodies to deal with?” he asked. Sicheng nodded.

“Yeah” he replied.

“And you also immediately went back to work after being discharged from the hospital. You still need time to recover” Yuta reminded. Sicheng blinked again; that happened too. He had gotten so caught up in his work that he forgot that he was literally released from the hospital that afternoon.

“Oh yeah…” he murmured. Yuta smirked before he rolled over and reached out to turn off his lamp, which he had left on when waiting for Sicheng.

“Well, get some sleep, Winko. You’re gonna need it” he bid before the room plunged into black. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	6. Missions and Medicine

The next morning, Sicheng woke and quickly got ready before heading downstairs to see Taeyong handing out that day’s assignment.

“Ah, Winwin. Good morning” Taeyong greeted, smiling over at the doctor before he turned to face the others.

“Alright, so, everyone knows what they’re doing, yes?” he asked. The others nodded, making Taeyong clap his hands.

“Excellent. Now, suit up then let’s head out” he ordered. Everyone nodded before they turned and headed off to suit up for the assignment as Taeyong walked over to Sicheng, who just raised an eyebrow at him.

“So Jaemin, Jeno, and Renjun are going to be staying behind with you, Chenle and Jisung as well. I also sent Jaemin’s prescription to a pharmacy nearby; Jeno and Renjun are going to escort you there” he stated. Sicheng frowned.

“Um…I can get a prescription by myself…” he replied. Taeyong chuckled.

“I know, but it’s better to be safe than sorry” he explained. Sicheng nodded and sighed.

“Alright. What about Lucas? I didn’t hear you say that he was staying behind” he stated. 

“I didn’t think I had to say anything, since that was a given” Taeyong replied, a small smile on his face. Sicheng nodded as Taeyong reached out and clapped him on the arm.

“You’ll be okay, right?” he asked. Sicheng nodded.

“If I’ve got Jeno and Renjun with me, I should be fine” he assured. Taeyong smiled.

“Good” he declared, just as everyone came back, weapons in their hands.

“We’re ready to go, Tae” Jaehyun called out. Taeyong nodded before he looked over at Renjun, Jeno, and Jaemin.

“Protect the others, understand?” he ordered. The three men nodded as Taeyong turned and walked over to the others, nodding. They then headed out, leaving Sicheng, Jeno, Jaemin, and Renjun. Lucas was in office, working on some paperwork, while Jisung and Chenle were already in the computer room. Once they were gone, Sicheng looked over at Jeno and Renjun.

“Let’s go get Jaemin’s medicine” he instructed before he looked at Jaemin.

“Go upstairs and rest” he ordered. Jaemin nodded and turned, heading upstairs, while Jeno and Renjun walked over to Sicheng.

“Ready?” he asked. Jeno and Renjun nodded in reply; Sicheng nodded as well before he turned and headed out the door, Jeno and Renjun following him.

~*~*~*~*~

The walk to the pharmacy was quiet, Sicheng in front while Jeno and Renjun walked behind. When they arrived at the pharmacy, Sicheng headed inside while Jeno and Renjun remained outside, almost like bodyguards. After paying for the medicine, Sicheng stepped out of the pharmacy and headed back, Jeno and Renjun following silently behind. As they walked, Sicheng felt that it was a little awkward, so he cleared his throat and glanced back at Jeno and Renjun.

“Thanks for accompanying me. I’m sure this is pretty boring for you” he stated. Jeno waved his hand.

“It’s better that you have someone watching your back than you ending back up in the hospital” he explained.

“We don’t mind” Renjun added, just as a couple of local thugs came running up to them, surrounding them.

“Give up your money” one man ordered. Sicheng raised an eyebrow.

“Why should I?” he asked. Another thug scoffed and brandished a knife, making Jeno and Renjun bristle while Sicheng just stayed completely calm; actually feeling a little bored. He dealt with wilder shit in the ER; this was nothing to him. 

“Um…hyung…you know he’s got a knife right?” Jeno hissed. Sicheng glanced back at him before he nodded.

“Of course I do” he replied. Just then, the thug with the knife rushed at Sicheng but he just gracefully step-sided the attack before he lashed out with a side kick to the man’s head; his foot crashing into the man’s skull with a sickening crunch. The thug then crumpled to the ground as Sicheng let out a huff.

“Anyone else?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at the rest of the thugs. The remaining thugs looked at one another before they rushed at Sicheng, but before they could reach him, Jeno and Renjun stepped in; Jeno punching one in the nose before kicking another one in the chest while Renjun pulled out a knife, making swift and sharp movements as he attacked; stabbing some in the torso or leg or slashing others in the throat or arms. The thugs quickly backed off, taking off in the other direction as Renjun and Jeno turned to look at Sicheng.

“Are you okay, hyung?” Renjun asked. Sicheng nodded, a small smile on his face.

“I’m perfectly fine” he assured as he held up Jaemin’s prescription.

“And we still have Nana’s medicine” he declared. Jeno and Renjun smiled as they began walking again, Renjun and Jeno on either side of Sicheng.

“That kick was super clean…did you use to take taekwondo or martial arts before?” Jeno asked, raising an eyebrow. Sicheng looked over at him and chuckled, shaking his head.

“I used to take Chinese traditional dance. I’ve never taken a self-defense class or any martial arts class in my life” he explained. Renjun and Jeno looked at him in shock.

“Shut up…that kick was so clean though! I’m pretty sure you cracked his skull!” Renjun exclaimed. Sicheng hummed as he smiled.

“Maybe. I don’t know, I just reacted” he mused. Jeno and Renjun shook their heads.

“It took us years to get our kicks that clean…” Jeno grumbled. Sicheng chuckled and reached out, gently pinching his cheek.

“You forget, I’m older than you” he teased. Jeno smiled and nodded in agreement as Renjun looked at Sicheng with awe.

“You have to teach us how to do that” he declared. Sicheng looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.

“I’m just the doctor, I have no fighting abilities” he stated as he continued walking, Jeno and Renjun following on either side of him.

“Maybe you can learn? Johnny hyung’s a great teacher” Jeno offered. Sicheng hummed.

“Maybe” he agreed.

~*~*~*~*~

When they returned to the headquarters, Sicheng headed up to Jeno and Jaemin’s room, stepping inside.

“Nana? I have your medicine” he called out softly, not sure if the young man was asleep. Jaemin slowly sat up in his bed, looking like he had just rose from the dead.

“Hyung?” he croaked. Sicheng smiled and walked over to him, pulling out the Tamiflu. He then opened up the package and popped out the first dose, which was two pills.

“Here, take these” he instructed. Jaemin held out his hand and Sicheng placed the pills into it, watching as Jaemin popped them into his mouth and dry swallowed them. Sicheng’s eyes widened before he walked over to the bedside table and grabbed the water bottle.

“Drink water, don’t just dry swallow” he ordered. Jaemin nodded, opening the bottle before nearly chugging the entire thing. He then closed it and placed it on the bedside table before flopping back down on the bed, letting out a groan. Sicheng huffed fondly and shook his head before he gently reached out, lifting Jaemin’s head up so that he could stick a second pillow underneath it, propping it up. Once his head was propped up, Sicheng reached down and lifted up the blanket, tucking Jaemin in.

“Thanks hyung” Jaemin murmured before he drifted off to sleep. Sicheng smiled fondly before he nodded and turned, heading out of the room and back downstairs to his office to get ready for the others to return. Inside his office, he washed his hands and dried them before he walked over to his desk, sitting down to write some reports when there was a knock at his door. He paused and looked up before he stood to his feet and walked over to the door, pushing it open to see Donghyuck and Mark standing before him, Donghyuck clutching his arm.

“Hey hyung” Mark greeted. Sicheng held open the door, allowing them in before he crossed his arms.

“What happened?” he asked. 

“The attack kind of went sideways and Hyuck got sliced” Mark explained. Sicheng hummed.

“Anyone else get hurt?” he asked. Donghyuck shook his head.

“Not that we know of. But I’m sure they’ll come to you if there’s a problem” he stated. Sicheng nodded before he motioned for Donghyuck and Mark to follow him to his examination table, patting it. Donghyuck then hopped up and moved his hand away so that Sicheng could take a look.

“It doesn’t look too deep and the blade they used wasn’t serrated, so I’ll just clean it, apply some ointment, and then wrap it. It’ll take a while to heal, so make sure to change the dressing often and don’t let the dressing get wet when you take a shower” he instructed. Donghyuck nodded and watched as Sicheng walked over to his self of supplies and grabbed a first aid kid. He then opened it and pulled out a large bandage, antibiotic ointment, and some gauze before walking over to Donghyuck, placing the supplies down.

“Alright, I’m going to clean up the wound because if this gets infected, it’s just gonna be a whole mess” he declared. Donghyuck nodded and patiently watched, Mark hovering nearby, as Sicheng took a gauze and soaked it in clean water before carefully cleaning the wound. Donghyuck hissed and Mark quickly took his hand, rubbing it comfortingly as Sicheng continued to carefully clean before patting it dry. Once the wound was cleaned and dried, Sicheng placed some antibiotic ointment on the wound, making Donghyuck hiss again and squeeze Mark’s hand.

“Sorry” Sicheng murmured as he carefully spread the ointment before covering the wound with bordered gauze. Once the wound was covered, he wrapped the bordered gauze covering in gauze, making sure it was wrapped securely. After everything was wrapped nicely, Sicheng examined his handiwork before looking at Donghyuck.

“You’re done. Make sure to change it daily like I said before and don’t let it get wet. Understand?” he instructed. Donghyuck nodded as Mark looked at him with awe.

“You’re awesome, hyung” he breathed. Sicheng huffed.

“I’m not, but thanks” he thanked. Donghyuck chuckled before he hopped off the examination table.

“Thanks hyung. I’ll try to be careful” he assured. Sicheng pointed a finger at him.

“You better” he playfully threatened. Donghyuck smiled before he nodded and headed out of the office, Mark following him. Once they left, Sicheng sighed and walked over to his desk, sitting down to go over all the members files. 

~*~*~*~*~

After a few hours of going through all the files, Sicheng felt his eyes burning.

“Fucking hell” he murmured, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes, just as Lucas walked into the office and over to him, holding out a cup of coffee.

“Here. Thought you might need this” he stated. Sicheng looked up at him and smiled gratefully.

“You’re a freaking lifesaver” he thanked. Lucas grinned.

“I do try” he replied. Sicheng chuffed before he took a sip of the coffee, letting out a hum of content before he looked back up at Lucas.

“Where were you? I haven’t seen you all morning” he stated. Lucas took a sip of his own coffee before he motioned to his left.

“Went to go see Chenle and Jisung’s new computer lab. That place is impressive” he explained. Sicheng hummed, just as the lab doors flew open, causing both Sicheng and Lucas to look over to see a man standing there.

“Can we help you—” Lucas started when the man suddenly rushed at him, tackling him to the ground.

“Lucas!” Sicheng exclaimed, placing down his coffee before he rushed over to the man and Lucas, yanking the man off of Lucas, who looked shocked as hell. The man growled before he shook Sicheng off and spun around, clocking the young doctor in the face. Sicheng stumbled back in surprise, clutching his face in his hand as Lucas ran forward and quickly wrapped his arms around the man, placing him in a choke hold. He held his arms there for a moment, waiting for the man to go slack in his arms before he let go and watched as the man fell to the floor, unconscious. Just then, Yuta and Doyoung arrived, making Lucas glare at them.

“Where the hell were you?” he demanded. Doyoung huffed and motioned to the unconscious man.

“Looking for him, obviously” he snapped. Lucas growled as Sicheng shook his head, letting out a groan when his head suddenly swam. Yuta looked over at him in concern and walked over to him, reaching out a hand.

“Winko? Are you okay?” he asked. Sicheng pointed to the unconscious man.

“He clocked me real good in the jaw and now my head’s swimming” he explained. Yuta’s eyes widened and he quickly Sicheng by the arm, guiding him to his chair.

“You should probably sit” he murmured. Sicheng nodded, only to let out another groan as his head swam again. Yuta looked at him in concern before he looked over at Doyoung.

“Take him back to the interrogation room” he ordered. Doyoung nodded before he looked at Lucas.

“Help me with this, since you were so nice to knock him out” he stated. Lucas nodded and stepped forward, picking up the man’s torso while Doyoung lifted up the man’s legs; both men lifting the man up and carrying him out of the lab. Once they were gone, Yuta looked at Sicheng.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Do you need to lie down?” he asked. Sicheng was quiet before he hummed.

“You know…maybe” he murmured. Yuta nodded before he carefully helped Sicheng to his feet, leading him out of the lab. Thankfully the other Golden Dragon members weren’t in the main lobby and were off doing other things so they didn’t stop to ask Sicheng if he was okay and why he looked like he was going be sick any moment. Yuta and Sicheng then headed upstairs, heading straight for their room. Yuta then pushed open the door, leading Sicheng over to his bed, helping him lie down.

“Do you need anything?” he asked. Sicheng shook his head, hissing when his head swam again.

“I think I just need to sleep. Can you tell the others not to bother me, please?” he asked, glancing at the Japanese man. Yuta nodded.

“Sure” he agreed. Sicheng smiled slightly.

“Thank you” he thanked softly before he shut his eyes. Yuta watched him for a moment before he turned and headed over to the door, turning off the lights before heading out. He shut the door behind him before he took a deep breath, calming himself. He didn’t know why he was suddenly filled with rage at the thought of Sicheng being hurt but he was and now that man that Doyoung had brought into the interrogation room had better talk or there would be a bloodbath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	7. Sicheng Gets Hurt.  Again.

A little while later, Sicheng woke up to find the room dimly lit by the lamp on Yuta’s nightstand table and someone sitting on his bed, making him jump.

“Shi—” he started.

“Shh…it’s just me, Winwin” Taeyong murmured. Sicheng relaxed immediately, letting out a deep breath.

“Yuta told me what happened; are you alright?” Taeyong asked, looking over at him. Sicheng nodded and thankfully found that his head didn’t swim.

“Yeah, I’m think I’m okay now” he replied. Taeyong hummed.

“Good” he agreed, reaching out to run his fingers through Sicheng’s hair. Sicheng blinked in surprise before he slowly relaxed underneath Taeyong’s gentle touch, slowly falling back asleep. Taeyong smiled softly as he watched Sicheng drift back off to sleep, continuing to run his hand through his hair, just as Yuta walked in. Taeyong turned and looked over at him, dipping his head before he slowly removed his hand from Sicheng’s head, standing to his feet.

“Was that man taken care of?” he asked softly, walking over to the man. Yuta nodded.

“Yeah, Doyoung and Lucas took care of the body” he replied. Taeyong then crossed his arms.

“And how are you doing?” he asked. Yuta frowned.

“What do you mean?” he asked. Taeyong fixed him with a look.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that look on your face before. You really care about Winwin, don’t you?” he replied. Yuta huffed.

“So what if I do?” he asked. Taeyong chuckled and shook his head.

“Nothing. I’m glad” he replied before he motioned to a sleeping Sicheng. 

“Go” he instructed as he reached out, patting Yuta on the shoulder before walking past him, exiting the room. Yuta watched him leave before he turned and walked over to Sicheng’s bed, sitting down on the edge. He then reached out and gently ran his fingers through Sicheng’s hair; Sicheng letting out a hum of content. Yuta smiled fondly and continued to run his fingers through Sicheng’s hair until he heard Sicheng’s breathing even out. Once he was sure Sicheng was deep asleep, he removed his fingers from Sicheng’s hair, gently stroking Sicheng’s cheek.

“Sleep Winko. You’ll feel better in the morning” he whispered before he walked over to his bed, slipping under the covers before turning off the lights, plunging the room into darkness. 

~*~*~*~*~

After Sicheng recovered (it was really just a bad headache but it freaked everyone out), he went back to work, although he was checked on constantly by the other Golden Dragons. Yuta and Taeyong popped in a lot to see how he was doing and how he was feeling, Lucas obviously checked on him, Doyoung popped in every now and then just to say “hi” and ask how he was feeling, and the Dreamies always stopped by to say “hi” and ask about him. Sicheng was grateful for the attention to his wellbeing, but he honestly wished it would stop. He wasn’t some fragile piece of porcelain that was going to break; he was a bit stronger than that, at least mentally. But thankfully after a while, the helicoptering and the mothering and the constant checking finally died down, allowing Sicheng to breathe a little and go back to his normal daily routine without getting interrupted by the others checking in to see how he was doing or asking if he was okay. Then one day, when he was working on patching up Taeil after a raid ( _“I don’t know how I got hit, in all my years of being a sniper, I’ve never been hit!”_ ), he heard a lot of shouting coming from outside the medical lab, making him look over towards the door.

“The fuck?” he whispered before he looked over at Lucas, who had come out of the autopsy room with a frown on his face.

“What’s going on?” he asked. Lucas shook his head.

“No idea” he replied. Sicheng frowned before he hummed. 

“Think you can go see what’s going on? I need to make sure Taeil hyung’s wound is bandaged properly” he stated. Lucas nodded and stepped outside as Sicheng continued to bandage the graze, making Taeil huff.

“I know this is going to be inconvenient for you, hyung, but it’s my job to make sure wounds like this get treated” Sicheng murmured. Taeil smiled and nodded.

“I know, I’m just a bit grumpy cuz I was careless” he explained. Sicheng chuckled softly before he stepped back to admire his handiwork.

“Looks pretty good to me” he declared, just as Lucas walked back in, his eyes wide.

“We’ve got a problem” he whispered. Sicheng and Taeil looked over at him and frowned.

“What do you mean?” Taeil asked as he hopped off the examination table.

“Um…Taeyong’s kind of being held captive at the moment…” Lucas started. Sicheng’s eyes widened.

“What?!” he exclaimed before he rushed over to the door and quietly opened, peaking out. Lucas was right; Taeyong was being held hostage at knifepoint, the rest of the Golden Dragons surrounding him with looks of anger and fear on their faces. Jaehyun’s face was particularly dark, but that was understandable, since Taeyong was his partner. Sicheng then quietly slipped back inside before he looked at Lucas and Taeil.

“Lucas is right, this is bad” he murmured. 

“What should we do then?” Taeil asked, frowning. Sicheng was quiet before an idea popped into his head.

“I have an idea, but it’s kind of risky…” he murmured. Taeil chuffed.

“We’re all about taking risks here, kid. What’ve you got?” he asked. Sicheng sighed before he looked him in the eyes.

“I’m going to see if I can get the man off of Taeyong” he stated. Lucas’s eyes widened.

“But how?!” he exclaimed. Sicheng smirked before he removed his stethoscope from around his neck.

“With this” he declared. Taeil and Lucas looked at him incredulously.

“How is that going to get the man off Taeyong?” Taeil asked. Sicheng smirked again.

“Just trust me” he assured before he turned and walked over to the door, carefully pushing it open. He then quietly slipped away from the door and towards the standoff, grateful that the guy had his back towards him so that he couldn’t see him coming. He continued to quietly creep forward, making eye contact with the others to not make a move or do anything suspicious that would draw attention to him. Thankfully the others understood quite well what he was trying to do because they said nothing and just watched as he continued to creep forward, stethoscope tightly grasped in his hands. Once he was behind the man (Sicheng assumed he was a person that they had brought back to get information from), he quickly wrapped the stethoscope around his neck like a garrote wire and pulled tight. The man let out a gag and quickly clawed at his throat, allowing Taeyong to be free and run over to Jaehyun, who grabbed him and pulled him into his arms. The man, who was surprisingly strong, then was able to grab hold of the stethoscope and use it as leverage to practically yank Sicheng off his feet and fling him forward, causing him to land hard on his back, knocking the wind out of him.

“Winko!” Yuta exclaimed, eyes wide with shock. Sicheng coughed and let out a hiss, eyes squeezed shut in pain. The man, taking advantage of the fact that he had stunned Sicheng, rushed forward to attack. Sicheng, however, was expecting that, so as the man raised his foot to try and stomp on his chest, he quickly rolled away and pushed himself to a crouched position. The man blinked in surprise; he thought Sicheng was too hurt to move by the way he was acting, but the fact that he wasn’t as hurt as he thought angered him, so he rushed towards Sicheng again. Sicheng waited and watched and as soon as the man was close enough, he attacked, tackling the man like a tiger tackling its prey. The man let out a cry of pain as his back collided with the hard concrete floor but he wasn’t going to lose to some skinny young man so he threw Sicheng off of him, causing him to go rolling away before he pushed himself to a crouched position again. 

“Fucking bitch” the man growled, rolling over and pushing himself to his feet. He then stormed towards Sicheng but before he could get any farther, a gunshot rang out, making everyone freeze. They then all watched as the man suddenly collapsed, a gunshot wound in his right temple.

“Where the hell—” Doyoung started when Lucas and Taeil stepped out of the medical ward; Lucas holding Taeil’s rifle in his hand.

“Hold up, Lucas, did you—” Johnny started when Taeil shook his head.

“No, I shot. He just steadied the gun for me cuz of my arm” he explained, motioning to his bandaged arm. Everyone nodded in understanding before Taeyong looked over at Sicheng, who was hissing in pain as Yuta helped him to his feet. He then removed himself from Jaehyun’s arms and walked over to the young doctor, who looked up at him and weakly smiled.

“Glad you’re okay” he stated. Taeyong huffed.

“Thanks to you” he replied. The others quickly walked over to them and surrounded them, concern on their faces.

“Are you okay, hyung? You hit the floor kind of hard” Jaemin stated. Sicheng nodded.

“I’m fine” he assured. Johnny shook his head.

“Nah kid, you’re not. Don’t try to say you are when your face obviously tells a different story” he stated. Sicheng looked up at him as Jaehyun nodded.

“It’s okay to say you’re in pain, Sicheng. We’re not going to think anything less of you” he assured. Sicheng looked at all of them before he nodded.

“Okay…I’m in a lot of pain right now” he hissed. Taeyong nodded.

“That’s what I figured. You need to go rest” he ordered. Sicheng huffed.

“But I just got off of bed rest…” he grumbled. 

“Yeah, but you also just got thrown around like a rag doll” Donghyuck reminded, giving him a look. Sicheng shot him a glare, just as a bolt of white hot pain shot up his back, causing him to cry out in pain as his knees buckled.

“Winko!” Yuta exclaimed, catching him before he fell. Sicheng immediately curled into him, eyes shut in pain as more nerves in his back twinged. Taeyong and the others looked at him in concern before Taeyong huffed.

“Yuta, take him to his room” he ordered. Yuta nodded and carefully helped Sicheng to his feet; both men slowly walking towards the elevators that led to the third floor where the rooms were. Once they were away from the others, everyone turned and looked at Taeyong.

“You okay, boss?” Johnny asked, raising an eyebrow. Taeyong nodded.

“I’m fine” he assured. 

“Hyung…” Jeno started. Taeyong shot him a look.

“I’m. Fine” he growled before he turned and walked off, heading to his office. Everyone looked at one another before Jaehyun sighed and followed after Taeyong while everyone else went about their business.

~*~*~*~*~

Jaehyun followed Taeyong into his office, quietly shutting the door behind him.

“Get out” Taeyong ordered from where he was standing behind his desk, his back facing him. Jaehyun huffed as he crossed his arms and shook his head.

“No” he replied. Taeyong glared over his shoulder at him, making him chuckle.

“You really think it’s going to be that easy to get rid of me? I’m not like the others, Taeyong, I’m _married_ to you. Remember?” he stated, reaching into his shirt to pull out a simple silver chain with a simple silver ring on it. Taeyong huffed but said nothing as Jaehyun placed the necklace back into his shirt and walked over to Taeyong’s desk, walking around it so that he was standing next to him.

“You know it’s okay to admit that you were a little shaken up” he murmured, leaning against the desk. Taeyong looked away from him.

“Then what kind of leader would I be?” he spat. Jaehyun chuffed.

“A human one” he stated, making Taeyong look over at him with wide eyes.

“You’re only human, Taeyong, you can’t be superhuman all the time. It’s okay to admit that you get scared, that you cry, that you’re _human_ ” he assured. Taeyong continued to look at him before he sniffled and leaned his head against Jaehyun’s shoulder; Jaehyun immediately wrapping his arm around him.

“I got you, baby. You can cry, it’s okay” he soothed. Taeyong let out a soft sob as Jaehyun rubbed his arm with his thumb, hushing him as he cried softly. They stayed like that for a while before Taeyong pulled away, wiping his eyes with the back of his hands. 

“Feel better?” Jaehyun asked, looking at him fondly before he reached out and wiped the stray tears away with his thumb. Taeyong sniffled and nodded, just as there was a knock at the door to his office. Both he and Jaehyun looked over at the door before Jaehyun cleared his throat.

“Come in” he called out. Just then, Lucas’s head popped and smiled slightly.

“Hi” he greeted. Taeyong and Jaehyun smiled before Taeyong motioned for Lucas to step inside. 

“You okay?” Lucas asked as he stepped inside, looking at Taeyong with concern. Taeyong smiled and nodded.

“I’m fine, Lucas. Thank you” he thanked. Lucas smiled again before he cleared his throat.

“Um, I got rid of the body. Just chucked him into the furnace and burned him. Didn’t even check him” he stated. Taeyong dipped his head.

“Thank you” he thanked again. Lucas shrugged.

“It’s the least I could do” he replied. 

“How’s Sicheng?” Jaehyun asked. Lucas shook his head.

“I haven’t checked on him, but I’m sure he’s fine. He’s got Yuta” he replied. Taeyong chuffed and nodded, a small smile on his face.

“That he does” he agreed.

~*~*~*~*~

Up in Sicheng and Yuta’s room, Yuta helped Sicheng over to his bed, carefully lowering him onto the mattress.

“Is it just me, or am I getting a sense of déjà vu?” Yuta teased. Sicheng glared at him, just as his back twinged in pain again, causing him to hiss. Yuta’s eyes widened and he quickly became serious, sitting down on the bed next to Sicheng, reaching out and taking his hand.

“Do you need something, Winko?” he asked. Sicheng squeezed his eyes shut in pain before he sighed.

“Some…Aleve would be nice” he murmured. Yuta nodded and quickly stood up, letting go of Sicheng’s hand as he walked over to the bathroom, throwing open the medicine cabinet. Thankfully there was a bottle of Aleve in there, so he reached out and grabbed it, opening it and shaking out one pill. He then walked back out to the bedroom and handed Sicheng the pill, watching him swallow it before he grabbed the water bottle that was on Sicheng’s nightstand, handing it to Sicheng. Sicheng sat up slightly, just enough to get some water in his mouth before he swallowed. Yuta then took the bottle from him and placed it back on the nightstand before he crossed his arms.

“There. Now you get some rest” he ordered. Sicheng nodded, eyes slipping shut as Yuta stood over him, watching him. He stayed there until he was sure Sicheng was really asleep before he walked over to his bed and laid down, continuing to watch Sicheng as he slept before his eyes grew heavy and he soon fell asleep as well. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	8. Hendery Begs For Help

After the “fight”, Sicheng put himself on medical leave or medical lock down, refusing to leave the clinic unless there was a need for him to leave because every time he left the clinic, he seemed to get hurt. Everyone agreed that Sicheng should probably just stay in the clinic, at least for now until his back felt better. However, they didn’t want him to be lonely, so every now and then, someone would pop in and spend some time with him, which he was grateful for. And the others enjoyed spending time with him, for he was a bit of a calming presence and it was a nice break from their daily work. Once Sicheng felt that he was feeling better and he didn’t need to be in “quarantine” anymore, Johnny immediately took him under his wings in a sense and started training him. Now, he had already seen that Sicheng could fight but he wanted to make sure that the young doctor could defend himself without constantly getting hurt. So they started training; mainly sparing so that Sicheng could learn different types of defense techniques. Once the other Golden Dragons found out what Johnny was doing, they wanted to join in the sparing, since it would be good for both parties; for Sicheng he would learn how to defend himself against different fighting techniques and for the others it would be a nice way to keep themselves on their toes and to make sure that they are always ready to fight and defend. Even Lucas, Chenle, and Jisung got involved in the sparing and surprisingly Chenle and Jisung were quite skilled fighters, even though they spent majority of their days behind a computer. They weren’t surprised that Lucas was a skilled fighter, but they were surprised to find that he was as strong as Jaehyun and Johnny, even though he was much leaner and lankier than them. Throughout the sparing and training, Sicheng felt himself growing closer to the Golden Dragons, something he thought would never happen. He knew that he was sent there originally to spy on the Golden Dragons for Kun but…he really felt at home with them. 

~*~*~*~*~

A few months later, Sicheng was working on updating the Golden Dragon’s medical files when there was a loud commotion going on outside. He looked up and glanced over his shoulder at the door before he shook his head.

“Nope. Not getting involved” he murmured as he turned back to his computer and continued working.

“SICHENG!” a voice screamed, making Sicheng pause.

_‘Why does that voice sound familiar?’_ he thought to himself before he shook his head and went back to typing.

“SICHENG!” the voice screamed again. Sicheng frowned.

_‘It sounds like Hendery but…that’s ridiculous’_ he thought, shaking his head once more.

“董思成!!” the voice screamed again, this time sounding more desperate. Sicheng’s head snapped up and he quickly looked over at the clinic doors.

“Hendery?” he whispered as he stood up and walked over to the doors, pushing it open. There he saw Hendery, absolute fear in his eyes, surrounded by Golden Dragon members who had guns pointed at him. His eyes widened in shock before he shut the clinic doors and ran into Lucas’s office, where Lucas was working on a report.

“Lucas! Lucas!” he exclaimed. Lucas looked over at him and frowned.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“It’s Hendery. He’s here” Sicheng panted. Lucas’s eyes widened.

“He’s what?!” he exclaimed as he quickly stood up, both he and Sicheng running out of his office before bursting out of the clinic.

“Stop! Stop!” Lucas shouted as he and Sicheng ran over to the Golden Dragons, shoving their way through before they stood before Hendery, acting as a human shield.

“Lucas. Sicheng. **Move** ” Jaehyun ordered. Sicheng shook his head.

“No. Jaehyun, he’s just a kid” he argued.

“He’s 威神V” Jungwoo spat.

“So are we!” Lucas spat back, so much venom in his voice that it startled everyone. Everyone fell silent before Sicheng turned to look at Hendery.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded. Hendery shook his head and he looked like he was going to cry.

“It’s Kun-ge” he croaked. Sicheng’s eyes widened before he reached out and grabbed Hendery’s wrist, dragging him away from the others. Lucas immediately followed after them, leaving everyone stunned before Yuta quickly took off after them. 

“Yuta!” Doyoung started when Taeyong held out a hand.

“Let him go” he ordered.

~*~*~*~*~

Sicheng led Hendery into the interrogation room, having him sit down first before he sat down in front of him.

“Hendery, what are you doing here? Don’t you know how dangerous it is for you to be here?” he hissed, just as the door opened and Lucas walked in, followed by Yuta. Hendery opened his mouth but the minute he saw Yuta, his eyes widened and his mouth immediately snapped shut. Sicheng frowned before he looked over his shoulder and saw Yuta, who just gave him a simple nod. He smiled slightly before he looked back at Hendery.

“It’s alright. That’s just Yuta. He may look scary, but he’s really sweet” he assured. Hendery eyed him suspiciously before he took a deep breath and looked at Sicheng.

“I had no choice. I can’t go to Ten because he’s with the police and Yangyang and Xiaojun are in hiding” he explained. Lucas frowned and stepped forward.

“What happened?” he demanded. Hendery took a shuddering breath, almost about to cry, when Yuta stepped forward and reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. Hendery flinched and quickly looked up at him as he smiled softly.

“It’s okay. You’re safe here” he assured. Hendery looked at him for another moment before he nodded and took a deep breath.

“There was a raid on the headquarters and they took Kun-ge after practically burning the place to the ground. I don’t know who they were; all I know is that they’re a powerful triad. After it happened, Xiaojun, Yangyang, and I decided that you and Lucas were the only people we could turn to because Ten’s undercover” he explained, looking at Sicheng and Lucas. 

“Do you know where they took Kun?” Sicheng asked. Hendery shook his head.

“No. They knocked me out and when I woke up, Kun was gone and the headquarters were on fire. Yangyang and Xiaojun pulled me out and then we made our plan for me to look for you and for them to go into hiding until it was safe or until I had made contact with you” he explained. 

“What do you want me to do?” Sicheng asked, frowning. Hendery sniffled.

“Help us save Kun-ge! I know he put you up to this but please…he’s the only family we have left!” he exclaimed. Sicheng nodded.

“Of course I’ll help” he assured before he frowned and looked at Lucas.

“But if Lucas and I help you, that will only be five of us” he explained.

“We’ll help” Yuta declared. Hendery, Lucas, and Sicheng looked at him in shock.

“Y-you…you will?” Hendery asked. Yuta nodded. 

“I will, even if the others won’t” he assured. Sicheng was quiet before he hummed.

“Maybe I can convince Taeyong to help” he mused. Yuta shook his head.

“That’s like asking for a miracle. The Golden Dragons and 威神V are rivals; there’s no way he’d agree to help his rival” he stated. Sicheng smirked.

“Who knows? I can be pretty persuasive” he replied before he looked at Hendery.

“But if I’m going to convince Taeyong, you’re going to have to tell him what you told me” he stated. Hendery nodded.

“Anything” he replied. Sicheng nodded before he stood to his feet.

“Alright, let’s go” he instructed. Hendery quickly stood up and followed after Sicheng, leaving Yuta and Lucas alone in the interrogation room.

“Do you really think Taeyong will help us?” Lucas asked, looking over at Yuta. Yuta hummed.

“I don’t know. It will truly be a miracle if Winko gets him to agree” he replied.

~*~*~*~*~

Sicheng and Hendery walked away from the interrogation room and headed to Taeyong’s office, Sicheng knocking on the door.

“Come in” a voice called from inside. Sicheng glanced over at Hendery and nodded before he opened the door and stepped inside. Taeyong was sitting at his desk, working on some paperwork when he looked up to see Sicheng and Hendery step inside.

“I already know what you’re going to ask and the answer is no” he declared. Sicheng’s mouth fell open as Hendery stepped forward.

“Please…you’re the only ones I can turn to for help” he begged. Taeyong just calmly looked at him and shook his head.

“Begging will get you nowhere. I am not helping and that’s final” he declared. Sicheng looked at him before he tsked.

“And here I thought you were different. No, you’re still the same cold and cruel man I met my first day here” he spat before he looked at Hendery.

“I’ll help you save Kun” he declared. Hendery looked at him before he nodded, following after him as he turned and walked out of Taeyong’s office. Taeyong watched them leave before he sighed and leaned his head back against his chair.

~*~*~*~*~

Sicheng and Hendery walked away from Taeyong’s office; Lucas and Yuta joining them.

“I take it he said no” Yuta deadpanned. Sicheng nodded, causing Yuta to sigh.

“I knew he wouldn’t” he murmured before he looked at them.

“If we’re going to flight out tomorrow, we at least need a good night’s rest” he explained before he looked at Hendery.

“You can stay in our room” he stated. Hendery nodded as Lucas clapped him on the shoulder.

“I’ll get you some food” he declared. Hendery smiled gratefully as Yuta and Sicheng motioned for him to follow them upstairs to the rooms. Once they were gone, Lucas turned and headed towards the kitchen to make Hendery some food when he was greeted by Jungwoo. 

“Xuxi…” he started, making Lucas stop and look at him with wide eyes.

“Woo” he greeted. Jungwoo dipped his head.

“I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have said what I said earlier” he apologized. Lucas smiled fondly.

“It’s alright, I’m not mad” he assured. Jungwoo let out of a breath of relief before he frowned.

“Are you going to help…Hendery was it?” he asked. Lucas nodded. 

“We’re going to fly out tomorrow” he stated. Jungwoo frowned.

“Do you even have tickets?” he asked. Lucas frowned before he shook his head.

“No” he answered. Jungwoo huffed and shook his head before he smiled at him.

“I’ll go ask Jisung and Chenle to see if they can get you guys some” he stated. Lucas’s eyes widened.

“You will?” he asked. Jungwoo smiled and shrugged.

“If I’m going to be dating a 威神V member, I should at least do my part, right?” he asked. Lucas smiled brightly before he reached out and pulled Jungwoo into a hug, squeezing him tightly before pulling back and kissing him on the lips. 

“God I love you” he whispered. Jungwoo smiled fondly before he reached up and caressed Lucas’s cheek.

“I love you too” he replied. He then pulled away and looked Lucas in the eyes.

“Once I get you the tickets, I’ll come with you. Whatever you need, I’ll help” he assured. Lucas grinned even brighter before he nodded and turned, heading towards the kitchen to make Hendery dinner. Jungwoo smiled fondly before he turned and headed towards Chenle and Jisung’s computer lab to beg the hackers to get them next day flights to China.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	9. The Rescue Mission

The next day, after a good night’s rest for everyone, Lucas, Yuta, Jungwoo, Sicheng, and Hendery all got up early, quickly gathering everything that they might need for the flight before they headed to the computer lab, where Chenle was waiting for them.

“Here’s your tickets. If you need anything else, let me or Jisung know. We’re almost always on our computers” he assured. Sicheng smiled.

“Thanks Lele” he thanked. Chenle grinned.

“No problem” he replied. Sicheng nodded and turned, motioning for the others to follow him as they exited out of the Golden Dragon headquarters, not realizing that they were being watched.

~*~*~*~*~

After taking a cab to the airport, the five men walked over to the airline check-in, checking in their bags and making sure that their passports and tickets were okay. Once they were cleared, they quickly went through security before heading to their gate.

“I wish Taeyong could have helped us” Sicheng murmured as he leaned against Yuta, resting his head on his shoulder.

“Who says I’m not?” a voice called out, making everyone look over to see Taeyong and the rest of the Golden Dragons walking towards them. Sicheng’s eyes widened and he shot to his feet, standing there as Taeyong walked over to him and stood before him.

“But you—” he started. Taeyong smiled and shrugged.

“I changed my mind. I do that sometimes” he stated. Sicheng looked at him before he laughed and shook his head as Johnny stepped forward.

“You can’t go into a gunfight without guns, kid. You should know that” he teased. 

“What do you mean?” Lucas asked, looking at him. Johnny just smiled and winked, making Lucas’s eyes widen. 

“Gotta have some bombs as well” Donghyuck added, smirking. 

“We’re trying to save Kun, not blow him up, kid” Yuta reminded, giving him a look. 

“Maybe we shouldn’t be having this conversation in an airport?” Taeil called out. Everyone turned to look at him and nodded; the sniper had a point. Taeyong then looked at Hendery.

“Do you know where your friends are hiding?” he asked. Hendery nodded.

“I do. But we’re going to need Ten as well” he stated. Taeyong hummed. 

“Do you know where he works?” he asked. Hendery nodded again.

“I do” he answered. Taeyong smiled.

“Good; that’s all I need to know” he replied.

~*~*~*~*~

After getting on the plane and flying to China, Hendery took everyone to a nearby hotel, where they could drop off their things and get some rest. While everyone else went to lie down and rest, Hendery and Sicheng decided to head to the precinct where Ten worked to get him a message without blowing his cover. When they got there, they saw Ten sitting at the front desk, working at a computer. 

“Let me go talk to him” Sicheng murmured before he walked forward and stopped before the desk.

“I’d like to file a missing person’s report” he declared. Ten glanced up and when he saw Sicheng, his eyes widened slightly before he nodded.

“Sure. How long have they been missing?” he asked.

“Three days” Hendery called out, making Ten look up at him with wide eyes. He looked around before he motioned Hendery forward, both he and Sicheng standing before Ten.

“What’s going on?” he hissed. 

“The headquarters were raided and Kun was kidnapped. Xiaojun and Yangyang are in hiding and I went to get Sicheng to help me save Kun” Hendery explained. Ten frowned before he looked over at Sicheng.

“And are you?” he asked. Sicheng nodded. 

“I brought the Golden Dragons to help me” he answered. Ten’s eyes widened.

“The Golden Dragons?! They agreed to help?!” he hissed. Sicheng smirked.

“What? I can be pretty persuasive” he replied. Ten shook his head before he looked at Sicheng and Hendery.

“I’ll do what I can” he stated. Sicheng and Hendery nodded.

“Thank you” Hendery thanked. Ten nodded before he motioned for Sicheng and Hendery to leave so that they didn’t get caught and he wasn’t suspicious.

~*~*~*~*~

Sicheng and Hendery then headed back to the hotel, heading to the conference room where the Golden Dragons had set up shop. Jisung and Chenle were sitting at their computers, their fingers flying over the keys.

“Did you talk to him?” Taeyong asked, looking up at them as they entered the room. Hendery nodded.

“He said he’ll do what he can” he answered. Taeyong hummed as Johnny looked over at Hendery.

“Your friends, Xiaojun and Yangyang…do you think they’ll come out of hiding?” he asked. Hendery shrugged.

“Maybe. If we give them good reason” he replied. Mark frowned.

“What warrants a good reason?” he asked. 

“Like if we have an actual plan for rescuing Kun instead of just going in there guns blazing” a voice called out, making everyone turn to see Ten closing the door to the conference room behind him. He then looked around the room and hummed.

“So, you’re the Golden Dragons…” he murmured before he looked over at Sicheng.

“You really did it. I thought you were bluffing” he stated. Sicheng huffed.

“I’m offended” he replied as Jaehyun crossed his arms.

“And I take it you’re Ten, the undercover triad member” he stated. Ten grinned.

“That’s me” he replied. 

“What’d you get?” Sicheng asked, raising an eyebrow. Ten sighed.

“Not much. I tried pinging his location but the computers at the station are too low tech to do anything” he explained.

“You have a phone number?” Chenle called out, making Ten look over at him.

“Yeah, why?” he asked. Jisung held out his hand.

“Give” he ordered. Ten raised an eyebrow.

“Excuse me?” he exclaimed. Jisung just continued to hold out his hand.

“Give” he ordered. Ten huffed before he took out his phone and unlocked it, pulling up Kun’s number. He then walked over to Jisung and handed it to him. Jisung took it and placed it between him and Chenle, their fingers suddenly flying over their keyboards.

“If you’re trying to look for his location, I tried that already” Ten grumbled. Jisung smirked.

“Yeah, but you were using a shitty computer” he replied as he continued to type. Ten’s eyes widened before he looked over at Sicheng.

“Who are these kids?” he hissed.

“We’re the best damn hackers in Asia” Chenle replied as he continued to search. Ten huffed as Taeyong chuckled.

“Sometimes their ego goes to their head” he stated. Ten huffed.

“I can see that” he grumbled as Chenle let out a cry of success.

“Found him!” he exclaimed. Ten’s eyes widened.

“What?! How?!” he exclaimed. Chenle looked at him and smirked.

“We have the best equipment, that’s how” he replied. Ten huffed.

“Forget I asked. Where is he?” he demanded. 

“In an abandoned warehouse near the Beihai port” Chenle answered as Jisung looked up from his laptop.

“I also figured out where Xiaojun and Yangyang were hiding” he declared. Lucas’s mouth fell open as Hendery shook his head.

“You’re scary” he murmured. Jisung smiled.

“I’m just good at what I do” he answered. Sicheng chuckled.

“We can see that. Now, can you tell us where they are?” he asked. Jisung nodded.

“They are also at an abandoned warehouse not too far from here” he declared. Taeyong hummed.

“Let’s pay them a visit, shall we?” he suggested. Hendery looked over at him.

“Can I at least call them and give them a heads up that we’re coming? You might get shot full of bullets and that just defeats the purpose of you coming” he stated. Taeyong nodded.

“Call them” he instructed. Hendery nodded and quickly stepped out of the conference room, pulling out his phone before placing it to his ear. Everyone watched as he spoke quickly to the other person on the phone, nodding a few times before he hung up and stepped back inside.

“They should be expecting us” he stated. Taeyong nodded as Johnny cleared his throat.

“Y’all go ahead. I have to meet up with someone” he stated. Everyone looked over at him in surprise.

“What, you know someone here, hyung?” Renjun asked, surprised. Johnny grinned.

“I have connections everywhere, kid. Now go. I’ll meet up with y’all later” he assured. Taeyong and the others nodded before Taeyong clapped his hands.

“Let’s go” he ordered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	10. Xiaojun, Yangyang, Sungchan & Shotaro

While Taeyong and the others were heading to where Xiaojun and Yangyang were hiding, in the abandoned warehouse near the Beihai Port, Kun was lying on the ground with his wrists and ankles bound, unconscious. After a while, he slowly awoke and pushed himself to a sitting position, only to find two young men, a tall young man with light skin, silver grey hair, and brown eyes and a tall young man with light skin, dark brown hair, and brown eyes, staring at him.

“You’re awake” the young man with dark brown hair breathed. Kun blinked. 

“Who…are you?” he asked. The young man motioned to himself.

“I’m Jung Sungchan” he introduced before he motioned to the man sitting next to him.

“And this is Osaki Shotaro” he added. Kun nodded slowly.

“Were you taken too?” he asked. Sungchan and Shotaro looked at each other before they looked back at him.

“It’s a long story” they replied. Kun huffed.

“Well, we’ve got all the time in the world” he replied before he looked down at the ropes binding his wrist and ankles and tsked.

“Whoever did this is either new or just really bad at this” he murmured. Sungchan and Shotaro frowned.

“What do you mean?” Sungchan asked. Kun chuckled as he reached down into his boot and pulled out a small dagger. 

“They didn’t even check me for hidden weapons” he declared as he took the dagger and sawed the ropes from around his ankles. After he sawed off the ankle ropes, he flipped the dagger and carefully sawed the ropes on his wrists, snapping them. 

“Tada!” he declared with a smile. Sungchan and Shotaro looked at him with wide eyes as he walked over to them.

“Now, hold still” he instructed as he first sawed Sungchan’s ropes before sawing Shotaro’s. After they were free, Kun huffed.

“We should go hide somewhere, figure out who these assholes are” he suggested. Sungchan and Shotaro nodded, both of them standing up as Kun cracked his neck.

“Come on” he instructed, motioning for the two men to follow him as they quietly slipped out of the room.

~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, at the other abandoned warehouse that Chenle had found, Hendery led the Golden Dragons and Ten inside.

“Xiaojun! Yangyang!” he called out. There was silence before two you men stepped out of the shadows, both of them carrying assault rifles.

“Hendery? Is that you?” a tall young man with light tan skin, black hair, and brown eyes called out. Hendery nodded.

“Yeah, it’s me, Xiaojun” he assured. The two men then slowly walked forward until they were standing before Hendery and the others.

“What can you tell us about who burned down your headquarters?” Taeyong asked. Xiaojun and Yangyang shook their heads.

“We don’t know; we never saw their faces” the tall man with light skin, dark brown hair, and brown eyes, Yangyang, answered. Taeyong hummed before he stepped forward and looked Xiaojun and Yangyang over.

“You’re not hurt, are you?” he asked. Xiaojun and Yangyang looked at him with wide eyes before they shook their heads.

“No” they answered. Taeyong nodded.

“Good” he agreed. Xiaojun then frowned.

“How are we going to save Kun? All of our weapons were destroyed in the fire; this is all that we have” he explained, motioning to the assault rifles in their hands. Taeyong and the others frowned, just as there was a loud honk from outside the warehouse, making everyone turn to see a large truck rolling in. The driver’s side then opened and Johnny hopped out, a grin on his face. 

“Howdy” he greeted. Jaehyun frowned.

“Where the hell did you go?” he demanded. Johnny motioned to the truck.

“Called in a favor from a friend” he replied. Chenle looked at him in shock.

“You know people here?!” he exclaimed. Johnny smirked.

“Yeah, you know EXO?” he asked. Everyone’s eyes widened before they nodded; of course they knew EXO, even Xiaojun and Yangyang knew who EXO were. For those who didn’t know, EXO was the biggest crime syndicate in Korea, even bigger than the Golden Dragons. They’re so big that they even had a branch in China, one that was run by four men known as the “Kings of China”.

“Yeah, so I used to run with EXO for a little while before I joined the Golden Dragons. So I know one of the heads of the China branch, Kris, and asked if I could use some of his stuff. He more than happily gave me this truck load” Johnny explained. 

“You used to run with EXO?!” Yangyang exclaimed. Johnny looked over at him and smiled.

“Yeah” he replied. Xiaojun and Yangyang looked at him in awe as Taeyong looked over at them.

“Not to ruin the moment, but what positions are you in 威神V?” he asked. Ten then stepped forward.

“I’m undercover in the police, Yangyang is the bomb specialist, Xiaojun is an interrogator, and Hendery is a sniper” he explained. Donghyuck’s eyes widened the minute he heard that Yangyang was a bomb specialist and he quickly ran over to him.

“Do you like making things explode?” he asked. Yangyang blinked before he grinned and nodded. Donghyuck grinned as well.

“Oh, we’re going be _good_ friends” he declared before he took Yangyang by the wrist and led him over to the truck. Everyone watched them run over to the truck before Ten looked over at Taeyong.

“Did we just…unleash monsters?” he asked. Taeyong sighed.

“I think so” he agreed. Taeil then walked over to Hendery and placed a hand on his shoulder, making him look over at him.

“Let’s go find you a nice rifle” he suggested. Hendery smiled and nodded, following him as he guided him to the truck. Yuta and Doyoung then stepped forward, looking at Xiaojun.

“We’re not going to be doing any interrogations, but how good are you at shooting a gun?” Doyoung asked. Xiaojun smiled.

“Pretty damn good” he replied. Yuta grinned.

“That’s what I like to hear” he declared. Xiaojun smiled wider as Taeyong looked at Ten and Sicheng, who walked over to them.

“So, what’s the plan?” he asked. Sicheng sighed and shook his head. 

“I don’t know. I don’t really have a plan” he murmured, just as Donghyuck poked his head around the truck.

“I say we just go in guns blazing. We’ve got enough people to take this triad out and we’ve got enough firepower to do so. Besides, wouldn’t it be better to surprise them?” he asked. Taeyong, Ten, and Sicheng looked at one another as Jaehyun looked over at him.

“He’s got a point” he stated. Taeyong was quiet before he clapped his hands.

“Everyone grab a gun” he ordered. Everyone looked at him before they nodded and headed to the truck to grab a gun that was suitable for them before everyone save for Johnny headed to the cars that they rented and headed towards the warehouse where Kun was being held. Johnny, on the other hand, took the truck and followed after the others, a small smile on his face.

~*~*~*~*~

At the warehouse, Kun, Shotaro, and Sungchan were quietly sneaking around, making sure they weren’t caught by any members of the triad. While they were sneaking around, one of the triad members ran over to the others, who were gathered in the warehouse.

“That triad leader…he escaped! Along with the other two!” he exclaimed. The leader of the triad turned to look at him with wide eyes.

“What?! Why weren’t you idiots watching them?!” he exclaimed, making Kun chuckle from where they were hiding up on the viewing platform.

“So they are just bad at this” he murmured. Sungchan and Shotaro looked over at him and frowned.

“Aren’t you worried that they’re going to find us?” Sungchan asked. Kun looked back at him and shook his head.

“No. Should I be?” he asked. Sungchan and Shotaro didn’t know how to answer him, so they just said nothing, making Kun smile slightly.

“Don’t worry, if they happen to catch us, I’ll protect you” he assured. Sungchan and Shotaro smiled and nodded before they turned to watch the triad members continue to yell at each other.

~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, the Golden Dragons and 威神V arrived at the warehouse, hopping out of their vans with their guns in their hands. 

“Hendery and I will try and see if we can find some good vantage points” Taeil declared. Taeyong looked over at them and nodded; Taeil looking over at Hendery before motioning for him to follow him. Hendery nodded and quickly followed after him as Ten looked over at Yangyang.

“How’s the bomb coming?” he asked. Yangyang and Donghyuck, who were working on the bomb, looked up at him.

“Almost done” Yangyang replied before he and Donghyuck went back to work. 

“How big is the blast going to be?” Sicheng inquired. Donghyuck looked up at him as Yangyang kept working.

“Big enough to blast down the door, but not big enough to harm the people inside” he assured. 

“Unless they get hit with the doors. But that’s different” Yangyang added. Donghyuck laughed before he went back to work, making Ten shake his head.

“He and Yangyang are too similar…it’s almost scary” he murmured. Jaehyun chuckled in agreement, just as Donghyuck stood to his feet.

“Alright, bomb’s done” he declared before he walked over to the warehouse doors and placed it down at the base. He then ran back to where the others were before he looked over at Yangyang.

“Would you like to do the honors?” he asked. Yangyang grinned as he pulled out a small remote.

“Would I” he replied before he pressed the button. Everyone looked towards the warehouse doors in expectation before the bomb suddenly exploded, sending the doors flying in. Taeyong then looked over at Sicheng and motioned to the warehouse.

“Lead the way” he instructed. Sicheng looked at him with wide eyes before he nodded and ran forward, the members of the Golden Dragons and 威神V followed behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	11. Face Off

Sicheng, the Golden Dragons, and 威神V ran into the warehouse, guns draw and ready to fire. Standing before them was the triad who captured Kun and just above them, on the platform, stood Kun and two other young men. Sicheng and Kun locked eyes, Kun’s eyes widening slightly before he nodded as Taeyong stepped forward.

“Is that him?” he whispered. Sicheng nodded just as the leader of the triad pointed at them.

“Why are you just standing there?! Get them!” he shouted. Sicheng’s eyes widened before he pointed at the triad.

“Let’s go!” he roared. The Golden Dragons and 威神V all let out shouts before they rushed at the triad, who also let out shouts before running at them with their guns. One of the triad members then raised their automatic rifle and began firing, causing the Golden Dragons and 威神V to duck and dive, quickly hiding behind boxes to avoid getting hit. Sicheng then stood up just enough that his torso was above the box before he let out a shot, hitting on of the triad members in the leg, causing them to go down. As soon as they went down, the triad members turned and started firing towards the boxes, causing Sicheng to duck down and curl against Yuta.

“You’re okay, baby” Yuta soothed before he peered over the box and let off a few more shot before ducking down again.

“Jesus, how much fire power do they have?” Jaehyun growled before he stood up and fired off a couple of shots at the rival triad.

“Probably about as much as we do” Ten replied as he also stood up, letting off some shots.

“Why don’t we just wait for them to run out of ammo before we attack?” Lucas suggested. Everyone was quiet before Taeyong looked over at Lucas.

“Good thinking” he praised. Lucas grinned as they all hunkered down behind the boxes, allowing the triad to keep shooting at them until it became silent.

“Damn it! We’re out!” one member shouted. Donghyuck then looked over at Yangyang and nodded before both men pulled out smoke bombs, pulling the tabs before chucking them over the boxes. The bombs then exploded, causing the triad’s vision to be blurred. The Golden Dragons and 威神V looked at one another before they all stood up and opened fire into the smoke. There were cries of pain and as the smoke cleared, they saw that they had taken out about half of the triad members (and there were a LOT).

“Alright, let’s go” Taeyong ordered as he dropped his gun and jumped over the box, rushing towards the triad members. Jaehyun and Johnny quickly dropped their guns, following after him; the Dreamies quickly doing the same. Yuta and Sicheng dropped their guns and jumped over the boxes, Ten, Yangyang, Lucas, and Xiaojun following after them. They then rushed into the fight; Taeyong turning to look at the others.

“I’m going after the boss. Take care of yourselves!” he shouted before he rushed towards the triad leader, Jaehyun quickly following after him. While they were heading to the boss, the others decided to fight the triad members closest to them. 

~*~*~*~*~

One triad member decided to try and clock Johnny in the face but Johnny just blocked the punch with his hand before twisting the member’s wrist, snapping it. The triad member let out a scream of pain as Johnny let go of his wrist, watching as he sunk to his knees in pain. He then rushed forward and kneed the triad member in the forehead, causing him to collapse. While he was standing over the body, another triad member rushed towards him, a piece of pipe in his hands. Ten, who just finished punching a triad member in the face, saw the man coming out the corner of his eye and quickly pulled out his service weapon from his belt, pointing it at the man. He then fired the shot, startling Johnny into looking over to see Ten holding his gun out in front of him.

“Nice shot” he praised. Ten smirked. 

“I had to go to the academy, you know. Of course I had to be a good shot” he replied. Johnny hummed before his eyes widened and he turned around, punching a triad member in the face. Ten blinked in surprise as he slowly put his safety back on and placed it back on his belt.

“Nice reflexes” he murmured. Johnny smirked.

“Thanks” he replied.

~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile Lucas and Jungwoo were facing off against a group of triad members who had them surrounded. Lucas then lashed out with a punch as Jungwoo kicked a triad member in the stomach, both men sending the members flying. As soon as those members when flying, the others members converged on Jungwoo and Lucas, but Lucas just grabbed Jungwoo and locked arms with him. He then knelt over so that Jungwoo was resting on his lower back and then spun around, Jungwoo using his feet to kick the triad members in the face. Once they were unconscious, Lucas put Jungwoo down and laughed.

“A bit unconventional, I do admit” he admitted. Jungwoo smiled and shook his head.

“That’s okay” he assured before he giggled.

“It was kind of fun” he admitted, making Lucas grin.

~*~*~*~*~

Yuta and Sicheng were dealing with their own group of triad members (let me tell you, they were a BIG triad group) and it was not going so hot. They were doing fine for a while, you know, kicking ass and punching the shit out of the triad members, until one triad member got lucky and clocked Yuta in the jaw, sending him to the ground. Sicheng, of course, took care of that member and cleanly snapped his arm before breaking his nose with a swift knee jab to the face. Once he had taken care of that member, he rushed over to Yuta and cradled him in his arms, gently shaking him.

“Yuta. Yuta, wake up” he whispered, shaking Yuta’s shoulders. Yuta let out a groan and clutched at his jaw as he slowly opened his eyes, only to let out a gasp.

“Baby” he whispered. Sicheng frowned and turned to see a gun pointed right at them, making his eyes widened. 

~*~*~*~*~

While Sicheng and Yuta looked down the barrel of the gun, up on the platform, Shotaro’s eyes widened before he looked over at Kun.

“Can I borrow your knife?” he asked. Kun raised an eyebrow before he nodded and held out the blade to him. Shotaro smiled before he placed the blade in his teeth and stood to his feet, looking at the chain that was hanging in front of the platform.

“Taro, what are you doing?” Sungchan demanded as Shotaro took a few steps back before he ran forward and he jumped, skillfully clearing the railing before grabbing the chain. Kun and Sungchan looked at him with wide eyes as he swung back and forth a little on the chain to gain momentum before he launched himself towards the man pointing the gun at Sicheng and Yuta. His attack was that of a skilled assassin as he landed on the man’s shoulders and removed the blade from his mouth before quickly slitting the man’s throat. He then jumped off the man and landed next to him, watching as he fell back and collapsed, blood pooling around him. Yuta and Sicheng looked at him with wide eyes and he just smiled, his eyes turning into half-moons.

“You’re welcome” he stated. Yuta and Sicheng blinked before they both dipped their heads in thanks, too shocked to say anything.

~*~*~*~*~

While Yuta and Sicheng were staring at Shotaro, Doyoung, Renjun, and Xiaojun were also fighting off their own group of triad members.

“How many fuckers are there?” Doyoung grumbled as he punched another triad member in the face.

“A fuck-ton, apparently” Xiaojun replied as he roundhouse kicked another in the side. Renjun then pulled out a pair of brass knuckles and slipped them on before he punched a nearby triad member in the face.

“As much as I love making these assholes bleed, I would like for this fight to be over” he grumbled as he socked another member with the brass knuckle. Xiaojun huffed.

Well, if they hadn’t taken Kun-ge, we wouldn’t be in this situation right now” he grumbled as he kneed another triad member in the stomach. Doyoung huffed as he snapped a triad member’s wrist before grabbing them and flipping them onto their back, knocking the air out of them.

“Well, they obviously saw him as a threat so that’s why they had to grab him” he mused as he looked down at the unconscious triad member. Xiaojun and Renjun looked over at him and hummed, not realizing that three more triad members were coming up behind them with pipes and planks of wood.

~*~*~*~*~

Up from their vantage point, Hendery and Taeil were keeping an eye out through their scopes when Hendery noticed the triad members coming up behind Renjun, Doyoung, and Xiaojun. His eyes widened and he quickly aimed before shooting, hitting the triad member closest to Xiaojun in the temple. Taeil then took the other one near Doyoung, hitting them between the eyes. Xiaojun, Doyoung, and Renjun quickly got out of the way as Taeil and Hendery both focused on the last man, who was looking around, trying to figure out where the shots were coming from. They then both pulled their triggers, hitting him in the torso. Once he fell to the ground, Hendery and Taeil looked at each other before they smiled and Hendery offered a fist bump. Taeil’s eyes widened in surprise before he smiled and returned his fist bump, making Hendery grin.

~*~*~*~*~

While Hendery and Taeil took care of those triad members trying to attack Renjun, Doyoung, and Xiaojun, Mark, Donghyuck, Jeno, Jaemin, Chenle, and Jisung were working on their own group of triad members. Mark and Donghyuck were an explosive fighting couple with Mark being the more powerful puncher while Donghyuck was the more powerful kicker. Watching them fight was quiet impressive, with Mark landing a few blows before punching them over to Donghyuck, who finished them off with a single kick. Jeno and Jaemin were the same, except Jeno preferred to do arial kicks and knock people out that way while Jaemin preferred to snap necks. His snaps were always clean while Jeno tended to break people’s chins and craniums. Chenle and Jisung were probably the fastest fighters out of all the Golden Dragons and the Dreamies, as they were the youngest. They also worked as a team, almost like Mark and Donghyuck, except if Chenle threw a punch, then Jisung kicked; both young men acting as one unit. They were doing just fine until one triad member took a piece of wood and swung it at Chenle, hitting him in the abdomen with a well-aimed shot to his liver. Chenle let out a cry and fell to the floor, clutching at his abdomen. Jisung’s eyes widened and he quickly knelt down, covering Chenle’s body with his as the triad member raised the piece of wood to strike again. 

~*~*~*~*~

Up on the platform, Sungchan’s eyes widened and he stood to his feet, making Kun look over at him.

“What are you doing?” he hissed as Sungchan took a few steps back, just like Shotaro had.

“Don’t tell me—” Kun started as Sungchan ran forward and jumped, easily grabbing onto the chain. He swung back and forth in the direction of Chenle and Jisung before he let go of the chain and launched himself towards the triad member, tackling him to the ground. Both men went rolling, Sungchan gaining the upper hand. He then punched the triad member in the face, making sure they were unconscious before he pushed himself to his feet and walked over to Chenle and Jisung.

“Are you guys okay?” he asked. Jisung looked up at him in shock and Chenle let out a groan.

“I’m fine…just got the wind knocked out of me” he murmured. Jisung quickly turned his attention back to him before he held out his hand.

“Come on, I’ll help you up” he murmured. Chenle nodded and took his hand, letting out a groan as Jisung helped him to his feet, Sungchan helping him as well. 

~*~*~*~*~

While all the other Golden Dragon and 威神V members were fighting the other triad members, Taeyong went after the triad leader. When both leaders stood before each other, they circled one another before they rushed at one another, both men landing punches on each other. They then stumbled backwards, Taeyong clutching at his face while the triad leader clutched at his stomach. They looked at each other again before they rushed at each other, but Taeyong was smart and quickly ducked down as the triad leader swung at him, dropping to the ground and sweep-kicking the triad leader’s feet out from underneath him. The triad leader let out a cry of pain as his back crashed into the hard warehouse floor. Taeyong smirked down at him, causing the triad leader to growl before he pushed himself to his feet. However, instead of rushing at Taeyong, which he was expecting, he ran over to control station that controlled the wires that held up materials on a crane. Taeyong frowned and quickly followed the control station line to a crane that was holding steel beams above where Yangyang was fighting with another triad member. His eyes widened and he quickly ran over to Yangyang, grabbing him and tackling him to the ground just as the triad leader pressed the “release button”, causing the cables holding up the steel beams to fall slack, allowing the steel beams to fall onto the triad member’s head, killing him. Jaehyun, who had been fighting with another triad member, looked over at the steel beams with wide eyes.

“TAEYONG!” he shouted. Taeyong lifted his head over the beams and smiled weakly.

“I’m fine, Jae” he assured. Jaehyun let out a sigh of relief as Taeyong looked at Yangyang, who looked at him with wide eyes.

“Are you alright?” he asked. Yangyang nodded weakly.

“Yeah…thank you” he thanked. Taeyong smiled just as there was a click a gun behind them, making both of them turn to see the triad leader pointing their gun at them while two other triad members had their guns pointed at Jaehyun.

“Jaehyun!” Taeyong exclaimed, moving slightly towards his husband, but he was pushed back by the gun in his face.

“You move, I’ll shoot him” the triad leader threatened as one of the two triad members pointing their guns at Jaehyun placed their gun on Jaehyun’s chest, right over his heart, while the other member placed his gun right between Jaehyun’s eyes. 

“Don’t you fucking touch him” Taeyong snarled. The triad leader smirked. 

“And how are you going to stop me? You have no weapon” he sneered, just as a gun shot rang out, causing Taeyong to pull Yangyang into a hug as Yangyang buried his face in Taeyong’s neck. Both men then looked over to see the triad leader on the ground, blood pooling around his head.

“What the hell—” Taeyong murmured as Yangyang looked up and grinned.

“Kun-ge!” he exclaimed. Taeyong then looked up to see Kun, with a gun in his hand, looking down at the dead triad leader in disgust before he looked down at Taeyong and smirked.

“Thought you could need a hand” he stated. Taeyong blinked before he frowned.

“Why didn’t you just let him kill me? We are rivals after all” he reminded. Kun smiled as he placed the gun in his belt and held out his hand. Taeyong looked at his hand skeptically before he reached out and took it, allowing Kun to help him to his feet before he turned and helped Yangyang to his feet.

“I didn’t kill you because you saved my kid and you didn’t have to do that” Kun explained. Taeyong blinked in surprise as he looked over at Yangyang, who smiled, before his eyes widened.

“Jaehyun” he whispered, turning towards his husband, only to find him standing while the two triad members were on the ground, blood pooling around them as he held a gun in his hand. He then smiled as he dropped the gun and walked over to Kun, Taeyong, and Yangyang.

“Thanks” he thanked, smiling at Kun. Kun blinked before he nodded.

“No problem” he replied as Yangyang let go of Taeyong and immediately surged forward, hugging him tightly.

“I’m so glad you’re okay” he croaked. Kun paused before he smiled softly and wrapped his arms around Yangyang, giving him a squeeze. Taeyong and Jaehyun watched them embrace before they looked at each other and smiled. They then looked back at Kun and Yangyang, Jaehyun smiling softly.

“I think the others would be happy to see that you’re alright” he mused. Kun looked at him before he nodded and pulled away from Yangyang, the four of them turning and heading towards the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	12. Getting Checked at the Hospital

Once all the triad members were taken care of, all the Golden Dragon and 威神V members met in the middle of the warehouse, blood and bodies scattered around. When all the 威神V members saw Kun, their eyes widened and they ran towards him, throwing their arms around him in a big group hug; Lucas and Sicheng even joined in, even though they were currently a part of the Golden Dragons. The Golden Dragons and the Dreamies smiled fondly as they watched the triad reunite and when they separated, Kun looked over at Taeyong.

“Thank you. I wasn’t expecting you to come and save me” he explained. Taeyong smiled and shook his head.

“Don’t thank me, thank them” he stated, motioning to the other members of威神V. Kun looked at them in shock.

“What?” he breathed. Lucas huffed.

“Hendery risked his ass to come to the Golden Dragon’s headquarters and _beg_ them to come and save you” he explained. Xiaojun, Yangyang, Ten, and Kun looked at him with wide eyes.

“ARE YOU INSANE?! YOU COULD HAVE BEEN SHOT!!” Xiaojun shouted, reaching out and smacking Hendery in the arm. Hendery flinched as everyone else laughed. 

“He was almost shot” Johnny admitted. Xiaojun’s eyes widened and he was about to smack Hendery again when Ten reached out and grabbed his wrist.

“Chill, Junnie” he teased with a smile. Kun then looked at Sicheng and Hendery before he bowed, making Sicheng and Hendery look at him in shock before Sicheng waved his hand.

“Please stop. It’s so weird to have you bow to us” he stated. Kun chuckled and nodded as Taeyong looked over at Shotaro and Sungchan.

“And who’s this?” he asked. Kun and the others looked over at them and smiled, motioning them forward. Shotaro and Sungchan looked at him with wide eyes before they stepped forward, standing before the others.

“This is Jung Sungchan and Osaki Shotaro” he explained. Doyoung tilted his head at them.

“Were you kidnapped too?” he asked. Shotaro shook his head.

“I’m actually an assassin from the Yamaguchi-gumi that unfortunately didn’t do his job very well” he replied. Yuta’s eyes widened.

“You’re Japanese?” he whispered. Shotaro blinked before he nodded; his eyes suddenly widening in shock.

“Are you—” he started when Yuta nodded. Shotaro smiled brightly, revealing his half-moon eyes, causing Jaemin to let out a gasp, making everyone look over at him as he motioned to Jeno.

“Jeno, he has the same smile as you!” he exclaimed. Shotaro blinked in surprise as everyone looked at Jeno, who looked like a deer in the highlights before he smiled, revealing his own half-moon eyes. The Golden Dragons, Dreamies, and 威神V all began cooing over how cute both men were before Mark looked at Sungchan and tilted his head.

“What about you, Sungchan?” he asked. Sungchan frowned.

“What about me, what?” he asked. Donghyuck chuckled.

“He means, where did you come from? How did you end up a prisoner?” he explained. Sungchan nodded slowly in understanding before he frowned.

“Um…I was actually a trainee on a solo mission to try and poison the triad leader and well…I was really new and wasn’t very good at stealth, so they caught me and well…I’ve been with them until Shotaro came along then Kun” he explained. The three mafias fell silent before Taeil narrowed his eyes.

“Did your team even look for you _once_?” he asked. Sungchan shook his head. 

“No” he replied. The silence grew louder before Johnny stepped forward and placed a hand on Sungchan’s shoulder.

“What’s the name of your team, kid?” he asked. Sungchan frowned. 

“Why?” he asked. Johnny smiled, but it wasn’t a very friendly smile; it was very cold and dark. 

“We just want to…pay them a little visit and ask them a few questions, that’s all” he replied. Sungchan looked up at him with wide eyes, looking a little scared by the aura that he was giving off, so Doyoung stepped in and placed a hand on his arm.

“Johnny, you’re scaring him” he hissed. Johnny sighed before he looked at Sungchan and smiled apologetically.

“Sorry” he apologized. Sungchan shook his head as Sicheng cleared his throat.

“Not to interrupt anything, but as the resident doctor, I suggest we go to a hospital to get looked at. And I mean EVERYONE” he declared. Everyone looked at one another before they nodded and headed outside, heading over to the truck and vans. Thankfully they had gotten two vans so they had enough to fit twenty two people into the two vans, since Johnny was taking the truck. As Johnny headed towards the truck, he looked over at the others.

“I’ll meet y’all at the hospital; I’m going to drop this off to Kris. Chenle or Jisung, one of y’all send me the directions after you figure out where y’all are going” he instructed. Chenle and Jisung nodded and watched as he got into the truck before they turned to look at Sicheng, since he was the resident doctor of the teams.

“Where are we heading, Winwin?” Taeyong asked. Sicheng was quiet before he smiled.

“I know a place” he replied before he walked over to Jisung and Chenle, telling them the address. The two hackers nodded before they pulled out their phones and quickly sent Johnny the address before Chenle went over to one van while Jisung went over to the other, both of them typing the address into the GPS system. Chenle then poked his head out of his van.

“Alright, we’re all good here” he called out as Jisung stuck out his hand and gave a thumbs up.

“Well, I guess we’re good to go then. Everyone pick a van and let’s go” Taeyong ordered. As everyone began to head towards a van, Donghyuck held up a hand.

“Wait!” he exclaimed. Jaehyun looked over at him and frowned.

“What are you doing, Haechan?” he asked. Donghyuck smiled as he pulled out another homemade bomb, making everyone look at him in shock.

“You just casually had that on you?” Ten asked, just as Yangyang pulled one out as well.

“Oh my god…” Renjun murmured. Yangyang and Donghyuck then looked at each other before they smiled and walked over to the warehouse, walking inside to place the bombs down in the middle of the floor. They then calmly walked out of the warehouse, both men pulled out detonators. They got far enough away before they pressed their detonators, detonating the bomb. The warehouse immediately exploded like the warehouses in those action movies, illuminating the two men like they were action heroes. Yuta rolled his eyes.

“So dramatic” he murmured. Kun chuckled.

“Well, it’s nice that Yangyang found a friend” he mused. Taeyong hummed as everyone watched as Yangyang and Donghyuck walk back over and stand before them.

“Tada! No evidence!” Donghyuck declared. Ten shook his head.

“You literally…literally blew up the place…” he murmured. Kun looked over at him and smirked.

“Looks like you’ve been spending too much time with the police” he teased. Ten huffed and shook his head.

“Whatever. Let’s just go to the hospital” he grumbled. Taeyong nodded and turned towards the van, Jaehyun heading towards the other van. The others then filed in, making sure that everyone was in before they shut the door and headed off in the director of the hospital that Chenle and Jisung had typed into the GPS.

~*~*~*~*~

When they arrived at the hospital, Johnny was leaning against one of the columns, looking at his phone. Jaehyun and Taeyong then parked the vans before they got out, the van doors opening to let the others out. They then all headed over to Johnny, who looked up from his phone.

“Took y’all long enough. What the hell were you doing?” he asked. Jisung chuckled and motioned to Donghyuck.

“Waiting for Haechan to stop being dramatic” he replied. Donghyuck crossed his arms and pouted, making Johnny chuckle as Sicheng stepped forward.

“Alright, let’s go” he instructed. The others nodded and followed him into the ER, making one of the doctors, Dr. Wen Junhui, look up in surprise before he smiled and walked over to Sicheng.

“Sicheng. What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I need a favor” Sicheng replied before he stepped forward and leaned in so that his mouth was by Jun’s ear. 

_“These men are mafia. I need to check to make sure that they’re not seriously injured but I’m just one guy”_ he whispered. Jun looked at them, then looked at the twenty-two men over his shoulder, before looking back at Sicheng and smiled.

“Let me go get the director. I think he’ll be able to help you out” he assured before he turned and walked away. Taeyong then stepped forward and raised an eyebrow.

“Who was that?” he asked. Sicheng looked over at him and motioned with his thumb to Jun, who was walking away.

“A friend of mine who used to work at my old hospital before he got transferred here. He gave me the address and said if I ever needed anything, I could always stop by. He also said he was going to get the director of the hospital, who might be able to help me out in getting all of you checked for injuries” he explained. Just then, Jun and another man walked into the ER, making Johnny smile.

“Lay. Nice to see you” he greeted. Everyone looked over at him in confusion before they looked at the man who was with Jun and their eyes widened.

“Holy shit…” Taeyong whispered as the director of the hospital, Dr. Zhang Yixing, walked over to them and smiled.

“Hello Johnny” he replied, nodding to Johnny before he looked at Sicheng.

“So, I heard you need some help?” he asked. Sicheng looked at him with wide eyes before he nodded.

“Yes sir” he replied. Yixing smiled and nodded before he clapped his hand.

“Alright, who should I start with first?” he asked. Sicheng looked at him in shock.

“Wait, you’re really going to help?” he exclaimed. Yixing laughed.

“My boy, I don’t know if you know this, but I am married to Kim Junmyeon, leader of EXO. I’m used to doing what you’re doing with your team. Yes, I’m going to help. Now, who should I look at first?” he asked. Everyone looked at each other before Jisung looked over at Chenle and nodded.

“Um, Chenle should probably get checked out first. He was hit in the abdomen with a piece of wood and I don’t know if anything was seriously damaged” he explained. Yixing’s eyes widened before he nodded and walked over to Chenle, standing before him.

“Come, little one” he instructed, placing a hand on Chenle’s shoulder. Chenle nodded and allowed himself to be led by Yixing into one of the exam rooms. While he was checking on Chenle, Jun stepped forward.

“I can look at a few people” he stated. Xiaojun and Renjun then stepped forward, and Jun motioned for them to follow him to another empty exam room. Sicheng then opened his mouth to say something when another doctor walked forward.

“Sicheng. I’ll look at a few” he offered. Sicheng looked over at him in shock before he smiled.

“Thank you Minghao” he thanked. The doctor, Dr. Xiu Minghao, nodded and motioned for a few others to come forward and follow him. Lucas, Jungwoo, and Jisung then stepped forward and followed after him as Sicheng looked at Sungchan and Shotaro.

“I need to look over you two, since you’ve been captures for a while” he stated. The two men nodded and followed after him to an exam room, leaving the others in the ER waiting their turn. Thankfully it was a slow day and the ER was large enough to accommodate all the triad and mafia members. While they were waiting for their turn, Taeyong walked over to Kun.

“May I speak to you? Privately?” he asked. Kun looked at him before he nodded. Taeyong then motioned for Kun to follow him outside, where no one could disturb them.

~*~*~*~*~

When they were outside, Kun crossed his arms.

“What did you want to talk about?” he asked. Taeyong sighed and also crossed his arms.

“Why don’t you and your members come stay with us?” he replied. Kun looked at him in shock.

“In Korea?!” he exclaimed. Taeyong nodded.

“You don’t have headquarters here anymore, remember? It was burnt down” he reminded. Kun huffed.

“I know that. But…China is our home; we can’t just leave…” he murmured. Taeyong sighed.

“I understand that, but how do you know that something like this won’t happen again?” he asked. Kun was quiet before he shook his head.

“We don’t. But we signed up for this job; all of us. We knew the risks we were taking” he explained. Taeyong nodded.

“I know but…you have no idea how scared your boys were when they found out that you were kidnapped. I mean, like Johnny said, we almost put a bullet in Hendery’s brain when he burst into our headquarters. I just…it would be better for you if you lived with us. Our place has enough space” he stated. Kun narrowed his eyes.

“Why are you being so nice? We’re rivals” he reminded. Taeyong smiled.

“After working with Sicheng and Lucas as well as the other members of your triad…I really don’t think we’re that different; the only thing different is our ethnicities” he explained. Kun hummed as Taeyong smirked.

“Besides, if you lived with us and maybe even joined us, you would have unlimited resources” he added. Kun was quiet before he smiled.

“I do like those odds…we would be probably the biggest mafia family in Korea…” he mused. Taeyong nodded.

“We would. But I’m not forcing you into anything. Just…think about it” he suggested before he turned and made to head back inside.

“What would we name our new family…if we were to join?” Kun called out. Taeyong paused and looked back at him.

“Neo Culture Technology” he replied. Kun raised an eyebrow.

“Neo Culture Technology? NCT?” he replied. Taeyong nodded. Kun smiled.

“Not bad” he stated. Taeyong smiled before he motioned inside.

“Sicheng’s probably waiting for us” he mused. Kun nodded before he walked over to Taeyong and both leaders headed back inside.

~*~*~*~*~

After Yixing, Sicheng, Jun, and Minghao looked over all twenty-two members (and Yixing looked over Sicheng), everyone headed back to the hotel that they had rented, Kun, Shotaro, Sungchan, Xiaojun, and Yangyang joining them. Kun quickly paid for three more rooms, with Shotaro and Sungchan sharing a room, Xiaojun and Yangyang sharing a room, and Kun with a room to himself. Before everyone got settled in for the night, Kun asked to speak to the 威神V members privately in his bedroom. The others nodded and followed him to his bedroom so that they could speak. Lucas and Sicheng looked over at Taeyong, who nodded, and they quickly followed after the other 威神V members into Kun’s bedroom. While they headed to Kun’s bedroom, the others headed to their own bedrooms to turn in for the night.

~*~*~*~*~

About an hour or so later, Taeyong and Jaehyun were relaxing on their bed when there was a knock on the door. Taeyong and Jaehyun looked at one another before Taeyong slipped out of bed and walked over to the door, opening it. Standing outside was Kun, who looked at him sheepishly.

“I can come back tomorrow…” he started when Taeyong smiled and shook his head.

“No, no, it’s alright” he assured as he looked over his shoulders at Jaehyun, who just smiled and nodded. Taeyong then motioned for Kun to come in, making the triad leader look at him with wide eyes before he dipped his head and walked into the room.

“Taeyong told me what you two talked about outside of the hospital” Jaehyun stated as Taeyong walked back over to their bed and sat down. Kun stood before them, feeling a little awkward, before he nodded.

“Yes. I talked with the others, especially Lucas and Sicheng, and…we think it would be a good idea if we joined your family” he declared. Taeyong grinned brightly and clapped his hands.

“Yay! I’m so excited for you to join us! I’ll have Chenle and Jisung arrange tickets for you to join us on the flight home and I’ll also have one of them create a transfer form for Ten” he assured. Kun blinked before he dipped his head.

“Thank you; you really don’t have to do all that…” he started when Jaehyun smiled.

“You’re one of us, now. We take care of our own” he assured. Kun smiled as Taeyong looked at him.

“Also, you will still remain as leader over 威神V. I’m not taking that away from you” he stated. Kun paused before he frowned.

“So…how exactly does this work?” he asked, crossing his arms. Jaehyun smiled as he leaned against the headboard.

“So, how the Golden Dragons are now, we’re actually two sub-mafias formed together to create one family. The Golden Dragons and the Dream Team, or Dreamies if you will, are the two sub-mafias. With you added to the group, you will become the third sub-mafia, 威神V. Together, with Sungchan and Shotaro of course, we will become NCT” he explained. Kun frowned.

“The Dreamies?” he repeated. Taeyong smiled.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to introduce you tomorrow. But overall, you will still be the leader of 威神V, even though you are a sub-mafia of the whole family” he explained. Kun hummed.

“Are you sure you’ll have enough space for…all 23 of us?” he asked. Taeyong smiled.

“If not, we’ll just build on. Besides, I think our headquarters could do with a renovation…a combining of cultures, if you will. What do you think dear?” he asked, looking over at Jaehyun. Jaehyun nodded.

“I like the idea. What about you, Kun?” he asked, looking at Kun. Kun looked at both of them with wide eyes before he smiled.

“I…I like it” he replied. Taeyong and Jaehyun grinned.

“Great” Taeyong replied. Kun nodded before he bowed slightly.

“Sorry to disturb you” he apologize before he turned and headed over to the door. Taeyong and Jaehyun waved goodbye as Kun opened the door and stepped out and once he was gone, Taeyong looked over at Jaehyun, grinning.

“Aren’t you excited?!” he asked. Jaehyun smiled fondly before he leaned over and kissed him on the forehead.

“If you’re happy, then I’m happy” he assured. Taeyong grinned before he pulled out his phone, quickly sending a text to both Chenle and Jisung to get plane tickets for the other members of 威神V as well as hack the system where Ten works and transfer him to Korea. He then placed his phone away before he snuggled up next to Jaehyun, who wrapped an arm around them before they both fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	13. Sungchan's Old Family

The next morning, when everyone headed downstairs, Chenle handed out tickets to everyone, including the 威神V members, Shotaro, and Sungchan.

“Wait…why do you have tickets?” Renjun asked, raising an eyebrow. Taeyong looked over at him and smiled.

“They’re joining us” he answered. Everyone but 威神V looked at him in shock.

“What? They are?” Mark exclaimed. Kun nodded.

“Taeyong spoke to me about it yesterday and I told to others and it would be…beneficial for us to join” he explained. 

“Does this mean that we have…three leaders now?” Donghyuck asked. Taeyong, Kun, and Jaehyun looked at one another before Jaehyun shrugged.

“I guess so. Technically four, if you want to count Mark as leader of the Dreamies” he stated. Mark held up a hand.

“I’m perfectly okay with _not_ being acknowledged as the leader, thanks” he called out. Everyone chuckled as Doyoung crossed his arms.

“If they’re joining us…obviously our name can’t be the Golden Dragons anymore” he stated. Taeyong nodded.

“I know. I came up with another name” he replied. Everyone looked at him expectantly as he smiled.

“From now on, with our new members, we’ll be known as Neo Culture Technology, or NCT, for short” he replied. Everyone was quiet before Johnny hummed.

“NCT…not bad. Short and sweet” he mused. Taeyong nodded, just as Taeil cleared his throat.

“Not to um…ruin the mood or anything, but if we don’t get our asses in gear, we’re gonna miss our flight” he stated. Everyone’s eyes widened before they quickly grabbed their luggage and quickly headed out of the hotel (as Jaehyun had paid the bill before everyone else had woken up) and to the airport.

~*~*~*~*~

When they returned to Korea that afternoon, they headed to the Golden Dragons headquarters, the 威神V members, Sungchan, and Shotaro looking around with wide eyes.

“Big enough for all of us to fit?” Johnny asked, looking over at Kun. Kun looked back at him and nodded.

“More than enough” he replied. Johnny grinned before he motioned for them to follow him.

“I’ll show you to your rooms” he stated before he stopped and looked over at Sungchan and Shotaro.

“You too, kids” he called out. Shotaro and Sungchan nodded, quickly following after him to join the 威神V members. Everyone watched them walk away before Taeyong walked over to Sicheng and smiled.

“How does it feel to have your family here?” he asked. Sicheng looked over at him and smiled.

“It’s nice. But you’re my family too” he stated. Taeyong laughed and nodded, clapping Sicheng on his shoulder before he turned, heading to his office. After he left, everyone split up, heading back to resume their normal lives. 

~*~*~*~*~

A few weeks later, while Sicheng was giving Sungchan a physical so that he could have all the member’s medical records in his system, Kun popped his head in.

“Sicheng? Is this a bad time?” he called out. Sicheng looked over at him and shook his head.

“No. What’s up?” he asked. Kun stepped inside and walked over to Sicheng and Sungchan, looking at Sungchan.

“Sungchan…do you remember the name of the leader of your old mafia family?” he asked. Sungchan blinked before he frowned.

“Why…why do you want to know?” he asked. Kun smiled.

“We just want to ask him a few questions, that’s all” he replied. Sicheng raised an eyebrow but said nothing as Sungchan looked between the two men, nervousness evident on his face. Kun looked at him and smiled again, reaching out and placing a hand on his knee.

“Are you worried about him hurting you?” he asked gently. Sungchan nodded.

“Well, he won’t hurt you, Sungchan. Not here” Sicheng assured. Sungchan looked at him before he looked over at Kun.

“You can’t let him know that it was me who told you; he’ll kill me” he whimpered. Kun nodded.

“Of course” he assured. Sungchan nodded before he told Kun the name of the leader as well as where they could find him. Kun nodded and patted him on his knee before he turned and walked out. Sicheng watched him leave before he looked over at Sungchan.

“I’ll be right back” he assured before he followed after Kun.

“Kun-ge!” he called out. Kun paused and looked over at him.

“Hmm?” he replied. Sicheng crossed his arms.

“Taeyong asked you to do this, right?” he asked. Kun nodded.

“He thought that Sungchan would trust me enough to tell me” he explained. Sicheng hummed before he smiled.

“I’m…really happy you’re here” he admitted. Kun raised an eyebrow before he laughed.

“I honestly thought you hated me, especially after I threatened your family” he replied. Sicheng hummed.

“I did hate you for a little while, but if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here” he stated. Kun smiled.

“I’m glad you’re happy here, Sicheng. Oh, and about your family, don’t worry about them. I told them when I went to visit them that I was a colleague of yours and that I had come to tell them that you were transferred to Korea and that you were doing really well there. So, they know you’re safe” he stated. Sicheng looked at him in shock as tears came to his eyes.

“You…you really did that? For me?” he whispered. Kun smiled.

“Of course. I take care of my own” he assured before he turned and waved.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have to tell Taeyong what Sungchan told me before I head over to Jisung and Chenle to ask them for coordinates” he stated. Sicheng watched him leave before he sniffled and wiped his eyes, making Yangyang and Donghyuck, who were walking out of their own lab, look over at him in concern.

“Hyung, are you okay?” Donghyuck asked. Sicheng looked at them before he nodded.

“I’m fine. Just got something in my eye” he replied, wiping his eyes again. Yangyang and Donghyuck looked at each other before they looked back at Sicheng.

“Whatever you say, Sicheng-ge” Yangyang replied before he and Donghyuck continued walking. Sicheng huffed and shook his head before he turned and headed back inside to finish up Sungchan’s physical.

~*~*~*~*~

A little while later, Sicheng was finishing up Sungchan’s chart when he heard shouting coming from outside his lab.

“Jesus, who’s shouting now?” Lucas grumbled as he walked out of his own lab. Sicheng shook his head.

“Hell if I know” he replied before he pushed himself to his feet, both he and Lucas walking out to see Doyoung and Yuta dragging a shouting man into the headquarters as Johnny, Jaehyun, Taeyong, and Kun followed behind. He was shouting so loud that he drew almost all the members of NCT out of their labs or bedrooms to see what the commotion was. As he continued to shout, he locked eyes with Sungchan, who looked at him like a deer caught in the headlights.

“You…you rat! You sold me out! You traitor! You dirty son of a bitch!” he screamed, struggling against Yuta and Doyoung before he was able to wrench one arm free and punch Yuta in the gut before back-fisting Doyoung in the nose. While the two interrogators were clutching at their nose and guts, the man ran over to Sungchan, who was frozen in his spot.

“Sungchan!” Shotaro exclaimed from the second floor, where he was looking down from the balcony. However, before the man could even _touch_ Sungchan, Jisung stormed over and stood before Sungchan, pulling out a 9mm. He waited for the man to get close enough before he spun the pistol in his hand and pistol whipped the man in the head, watching as he crashed to the ground. Everyone was stunned by the fact that Jisung, who rarely resorted to violence, pistol whipped someone (Chenle was the more violent of the pair). While everyone was looking at Jisung in shock, Sicheng decided to take the reins.

“Jeno, Jaemin, take this bastard to the interrogation room” he ordered, pointing to Jeno and Jaemin. The two men nodded and quickly walked over to Sungchan’s old leader, picking his unconscious ass off the ground before leading him to the interrogation room. Sicheng then pointed at Doyoung and Yuta.

“Yuta, Doyoung, my office. I need to check to make sure he didn’t break anything” he instructed before he finally looked up at the second floor, where Xiaojun was standing next to Shotaro and Hendery.

“Xiaojun, you run point on the interrogation” he finished. Xiaojun nodded and quickly headed downstairs; once he was downstairs, he headed towards the interrogation room. Taeyong, Jaehyun, Kun, and Johnny looked at him before they nodded and followed after Xiaojun. While they were heading to the interrogation room, Sicheng and Lucas walked over to Doyoung and Yuta, escorting them into Sicheng’s lab so that they could get checked out. As they were looking the two interrogators over, Sungchan looked at Jisung.

“T-thank you. You didn’t have to do that…” he murmured. Jisung turned and looked at him before he smiled.

“You saved Chenle and I. Of course I had to do something” he replied. Sungchan blinked before he laughed and nodded.

~*~*~*~*~

In the interrogation room, Jeno and Jaemin dumped Sungchan’s old boss into one of the chairs while Xiaojun walked over to the other chair and sat across from him, crossing his arms. Taeyong, Kun, Johnny, and Jaehyun also entered the room as Jaemin and Jeno left, leaving the men alone. Jaehyun then walked over to the man and smacked him upside his head, shocking him awake. He then looked around before he narrowed his eyes at Xiaojun.

“What the hell am I doing here? Who the hell are you people?” he demanded. Xiaojun just looked at him and sighed.

“I’ll be the ones asking the questions” he replied. Sungchan’s old boss looked at him before he sneered.

“You’re Chinese, aren’t you? I don’t have to speak to you. You damn Ching” he spat. Xiaojun’s eyes widened and before he could open his mouth, Kun walked over to Sungchan’s old boss and slipped a garrote wire out from his sleeve, wrapping it around his neck. The man let out a gurgled choke as Kun tightened it, causing a small drop of blood to drip from the wound, before leaning down so that his mouth was by his ear.

_“I suggest you watch your mouth. You might not make it out of here if you don’t”_ he hissed. He then removed the garrote wire from around the man’s throat, wiping it off with a handkerchief that he pulled from his pocket. Xiaojun gulped, looking at the blood trailing down the man’s neck before he looked into his eyes and took a deep breath.

“What’s your name?” he asked. Sungchan’s old boss looked at him but said nothing, so Johnny walked behind Xiaojun and placed his hands on his shoulders.

“Answer his questions” he ordered. Sungchan’s old boss scoffed.

“Why should I?” he replied. Xiaojun raised an eyebrow.

“Did you forget about the wire?” he asked before he looked at Kun and nodded. Kun smiled and pulled out the wire, holding out in front of the man when he quickly raise a hand.

“Alright, alright. The name’s Hyunsik” he replied. Xiaojun looked at Kun and nodded again; Kun removing the wire and slipping it back into his sleeve. Xiaojun then looked at Hyunsik.

“We just have one question: why did you send Sungchan, _a literal_ _child_ , on a mission by _himself_ to try and take down a triad leader?” he asked. Hyunsik looked at him before he scoffed.

“All of my members go on solo missions when they’re trainees. That’s how I know if they’re cut out to be in my family” he declared. Taeyong growled.

“He’s a child!” he exclaimed. 

“Well, they have to grow up fast if they want to be a part of my family” Hyunsik explained.

“How much training did he have?” Jaehyun asked. Hyunsik hummed, thinking, before he shrugged.

“About…a month or so” he replied. Kun, Xiaojun, Johnny, Taeyong, and Jaehyun looked at him in horror.

“A month?! That’s not enough time at all!” Johnny exclaimed. 

“What you did was send him on a death sentence” Taeyong snarled. Hyungsik shrugged again.

“He had to learn. That was the only way he was going to do it” he replied. Kun shook his head.

“No, what he needed was good training and guidance. You didn’t give him that. You sent him like a pig to the slaughter! You’re lucky that triad leader didn’t kill him!” he snarled. Hyungsik chuckled.

“He should have…he obviously wasn’t cut out for this life” he mused, just as Xiaojun slammed his hand down on the metal table. Everyone looked over at him in shock as he glared daggers at Hyungsik.

“If you don’t…shut your damn mouth…I…will kill you…myself” he gritted out. Hyungsik looked at him and laughed.

“You don’t have the guts, Ching” he spat. Xiaojun said nothing as he reached back and easily slipped Johnny’s gun out from his holster, pulling the slide back before he pointed at Hyungsik’s head.

“I’m a damn good shot. I won’t miss” he deadpanned. Hyungsik laughed.

“Take your best shot” he sneered. Xiaojun smiled before he fired; making Kun jump out of the way as the bullet went flying past him and landed in the wall behind Hyungsik. Hyungsik huffed.

“You missed” he sneered. Xiaojun snickered.

“On purpose. Did nick your ear though” he stated. Hyungsik frowned and reached up, feeling that a part of his ear really was missing. His eyes widened and he pointed at Xiaojun.

“You—” he started as Xiaojun looked over at Taeyong and Jaehyun.

“Get him out of here. I don’t want to look at him anymore” he ordered. Taeyong crossed his arms.

“What do you want us to do with him?” he asked. Xiaojun shrugged.

“I don’t know. Let Sungchan decide” he replied as he turned and looked at Johnny, holding out his gun.

“Sorry hyung” he apologized. Johnny smiled and reached out, taking his gun and placing the safety back on it before placing it back in his holster.

“Don’t apologize, kid. You did good” he praised. Xiaojun smiled just as Hyungsik stood up and placed his hands underneath the edge of the table, flipping it. Johnny’s eyes widened and he quickly grabbed Xiaojun’s arm, yanking him out of the chair as the metal table crashed into the chair. Xiaojun clung to Johnny as Jaehyun ran over to Hyungsik and grabbed him, restraining him. 

“Get him the hell out of here!” Johnny roared. Jaehyun nodded and dragged Hyungsik out of the interrogation room, Taeyong and Kun following him. Johnny then looked down at Xiaojun, raising an eyebrow.

“You okay, kid?” he asked. Xiaojun nodded.

“I’m fine…I’m fine” he breathed. Johnny nodded, reaching up and patting his head. 

“Good, good” he murmured as Xiaojun let out a breath and rested his head on Johnny’s chest.

“You did good, kid. You did good” Johnny soothed, moving his hand from Xiaojun’s head to his back, rubbing it.

~*~*~*~*~

While Johnny was comforting Xiaojun, Jaehyun dragged Hyungsik out of the interrogation room; Hyungsik fighting him.

“Get off of me! Get off of me!” he shouted. Jaehyun snarled and threw him away, watching as he crashed to the ground. Hyungsik snarled and pushed himself to his feet, glaring at Jaehyun as Taeyong and Kun walked over to Jaehyun, standing on either side of him.

“Where is he? Where’s Sungchan?” Hyungsik snarled. 

“Right here” a voice called out from behind him, making Hyungsik turn to see Sungchan glaring at him; the other NCT members by his side. Hyungsik glared at him.

“You’re weak. You couldn’t kill that triad leader. You’re pathetic” he spat. Sungchan shook his head.

“I’m not pathetic, I had no training!” he shouted. Hyungsik tsked.

“You had a month! That should have been more than enough time to figure out how to kill him!” he snapped. Sungchan snarled as he took a step forward.

“A month?! A month barely got me through basic training!” he screamed. Hyungsik snarled and stormed forward, poking Sungchan harshly in the chest.

“You don’t deserve to be a part of any family” he spat. Sungchan growled before he punched Hyungsik in the face, watching as he stumbled back before he stormed forward and kicked Hyungsik in the chest, causing him to fall to the ground. He then walked over and stood over Hyungsik’s body as Hyungsik continued to clutch at his face.

“Gun, please” he asked, holding out his hand. Kun said nothing as he took his gun out of his holster and handed it to Sungchan, who pulled the slide back and pointed it down at Hyungsik.

“I deserve to be a part of a family. Just not yours. And no one should have to go through what I went through” he snarled before he pulled the trigger, hitting Hyungsik between the eyes. He then handed Kun back his gun before he turned and walked away, everyone watching him leave. Jaehyun then looked over at Taeyong and sighed.

“I’ll go talk to him” he murmured, following after Sungchan. While he followed after Sungchan, Lucas stepped out of the lab.

“I heard a gunshot” he called out. Kun and Taeyong looked over at him before Kun motioned to the body on the ground. Lucas calmly walked over to the body and looked it over before he hummed.

“Clean shot. How do you want me to take care of this?” he asked, looking up at Taeyong and Kun. Kun then looked over at Taeyong.

“It’s your call” he stated. Taeyong hummed and crossed his arms.

“Should this be a quiet disposal or a public dump on their property?” he mused. Lucas shrugged.

“I’m down for whatever. But if you want to make a statement, a public dump would be better” he stated. 

“But that would be out of character for the Golden Dragons” Mark argued. Donghyuck looked over at him.

“But we’re not the Golden Dragons anymore. We’re NCT. We can recreate ourselves” he mused. 

“Haechan has a point” Taeil mused as Sicheng, Doyoung, and Yuta stepped out of Sicheng’s lab. 

“Oh good, he’s dead. Who killed him?” Yuta asked, looking at Hyungsik’s body. 

“Sungchan did” Shotaro answered. Yuta raised an eyebrow as Doyoung crossed his arms.

“Didn’t think he had it in him, but hey, can’t judge a book by its cover” he mused before he looked around.

“Where is he?” he asked. Hendery motioned to the second level.

“Jaehyun hyung’s with him” he stated. Sicheng nodded as Yangyang raised his hand.

“I can make a brand…you know, to brand his body with?” he offered. 

“Why the hell would we need a brand?” a voice called out, making everyone look over to see Johnny and Xiaojun coming out of the interrogation room.

“As a signature. It’s just an option, we don’t have to do it” Yangyang replied. Ten huffed and crossed his arms.

“As a former cop, that might not be the smartest idea” he stated. 

“But what cop is going to go into a family’s territory? And no family is going to call the cops on a dead body, especially if it belongs to them. They’ll wanna fight it out” Chenle reminded. Jisung huffed.

“So what do we do then?” he asked. 

“How about we dump the body on their doorstep? Not just on their territory, but on their doorstep. And I like what Yangyang said about the brand, but we should make it more subtle…” Xiaojun mused.

“Like a tattoo?” Renjun offered. 

“What about an invisible ink tattoo?” Sicheng suggested. 

“I have the expertise to do so, I just need to know what I’m tattooing” Lucas stated, crossing his arms. Taeyong looked over at him in shock before he cleared his throat.

“Tattoo “NCT” on the man’s chest. However, don’t do it until we hear from Jaehyun and Sungchan. I want everyone’s opinion on this matter” he declared. Lucas nodded.

“Alright, I’ll put him in the freezer. Work on him latter” he agreed before he walked over to Hyungsik’s body and grabbed him by the arm, dragging him towards the morgue. 

“Yah! The blood!” Kun exclaimed.

“It was gonna drip anyway, even if two people carried him” Sicheng stated before he turned and headed back into his office. Just then, Lucas came back out with a mop and bucket.

“I didn’t say I wasn’t going to clean it” he mumbled as he dunked the mop into the bucket of water, wringing it out before he began to clean up the blood trail.

“We’re gonna need some bleach” Doyoung murmured. 

“I’ll get it” Yuta murmured as he turned and headed into Sicheng’s office. While they were cleaning up the bloody mess, Taeyong looked over at the others.

“Go ahead and rest. It’s been a busy afternoon” he stated. The others nodded and split up, going back to what they were doing.

~*~*~*~*~

Up in Sungchan and Shotaro’s room, Sungchan was sitting on his bed, head in his hands when there was a knock at the door.

“Sungchan?” a voice called out. Sungchan slowly lifted his head and looked towards the door.

“Come in” he croaked. The door then opened and Jaehyun stepped inside, a small smile on his face.

“Hey” he greeted, walking over to Sungchan. Sungchan sniffled and looked up at him.

“Hyung” he replied. Jaehyun smiled and knelt before him.

“How you feeling?” he asked. Sungchan shook his head.

“Honestly…I’m shaking” he whispered. Jaehyun smiled and held out his hands, which Sungchan looked at before he reached out and placed his hands in; Jaehyun closing his hands around Sungchan’s.

“Are you shaking because you killed your boss?” he asked. Sungchan sniffled and nodded.

“Yeah” he whispered. Jaehyun hummed and stood to his feet, still holding Sungchan’s hands as he walked over and sat down beside Sungchan.

“First kill?” he asked. Sungchan nodded again. Jaehyun smiled fondly.

“It’s alright, everyone feels a little nauseous after their first kill. It’s normal” he assured. Sungchan looked at him with teary eyes.

“Really? Did you…feel like this?” he whispered. Jaehyun nodded.

“We all did. This feeling that you’re feeling is natural and human” he assured. Sungchan frowned.

“Even…even Chenle and Jisung killed someone?” he whispered. Jaehyun nodded.

“Mmhm. Not even our youngest is innocent” he replied with a smile. Sungchan let out a weak laugh as Jaehyun looked at him and smiled softly.

“I know it won’t make this feeling go away, but…would you like a hug?” he asked. Sungchan looked at him in shock.

“Mafias give…hugs?” he asked. Jaehyun laughed.

“We do things a little differently here” he replied. Sungchan sniffled before he nodded.

“I’d like a hug” he croaked. Jaehyun smiled before he reached out and pulled Sungchan in for a hug, giving him a good squeeze. Sungchan sniffled and buried his face in Jaehyun’s neck, wrapping his arms around him.

“If you want a really good hug, ask Johnny. He gives the best hugs, especially when you’re feeling down” Jaehyun stated. Sungchan hummed as they stayed like that for a few more minutes before they pulled apart.

“Feel better?” Jaehyun asked, looking into Sungchan’s eyes. Sungchan nodded, just as there was a knock on the door.

“Come in” Jaehyun called out; the door soon opening to reveal Taeyong.

“Hey” he greeted softly, pushing open the door before walking over to them.

“How are you feeling, Sungchan?” he asked. Sungchan looked at him before he nodded. Taeyong smiled.

“Good, good. Listen, we’re deciding what to do with the body and we’ve come up with an idea, but we need to hear your opinions on it” he stated. Jaehyun and Sungchan raised an eyebrow as Jaehyun crossed his arms.

“What are we thinking?” he asked. Taeyong sighed as he sat down on the floor between the two men.

“Well, Lucas offered to tattoo “NCT” in invisible ink on the body’s chest then dump it in front of the mafia’s building to send a message but we didn’t want to do anything until we heard from either of you” he explained, looking at Sungchan and Jaehyun. Jaehyun frowned.

“I’m not against the idea, but didn’t we wipe out that entire family looking for Hyungsik?” he asked. Sungchan looked over at him in shock as Taeyong nodded slowly.

“Ah…that’s right…we did do that” he agreed. Sungchan looked between them.

“I’m sorry…you took out the _entire family_?!” he exclaimed. Taeyong and Jaehyun looked at him before they both nodded.

“Yeah?” Taeyong replied. Sungchan shook his head.

“What kind of family are you?” he whispered. Jaehyun smiled.

“The dangerous kind” he replied. Sungchan shuddered.

“Obviously” he murmured. Taeyong crossed his arms.

“What should we do then?” he asked. Sungchan crossed his arms before a thought hit him.

“I have an idea” he declared. Taeyong raised an eyebrow.

“You do?” he replied. Sungchan nodded.

“Yeah…we’re trying to make a statement, right?” he asked. Jaehyun nodded.

“Yes” he replied. Sungchan grinned.

“Then I have the perfect plan” he declared. Taeyong and Jaehyun looked at each other before they nodded and stood to their feet.

“Well come on then. It’s your idea, you should share it with the others” Jaehyun declared. Sungchan looked up at them with big eyes before he nodded and stood up, heading over to the door, Jaehyun and Taeyong following him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many of you have been speculating that something was going to happen with Sungchan's old family and here is the chapter that deals with it! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	14. Sungchan's Plan

Taeyong, Jaehyun, and Sungchan headed downstairs; Taeyong clearing his throat.

“EVERYONE!” he boomed. Soon all NCT members came out of their labs or out of their rooms, surrounding Jaehyun, Taeyong, and Sungchan.

“What’s up, boss?” Johnny asked, crossing his arms. Taeyong and Jaehyun then looked over at Sungchan.

“Go ahead, Sungchan” Taeyong instructed. Sungchan nodded before he looked at the others.

“Well, since Jaehyun hyung said that you guys wanted to make a statement with the body and since apparently my old family was completely wiped out, I think we should drop the body on the doorstep of the police” he declared. Everyone looked at him in shock before they all started to nodded in agreement when Ten held up a hand.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? Aren’t you afraid they’ll track the body back to us?” he asked. Lucas, who was standing next to Jungwoo, shook his head.

“Nah. I’ll get rid of the bullet and then get rid of the gun. And the ink I use isn’t traceable, so it’ll be fine” he stated. Ten frowned.

“Are you sure? Like, really sure?” he asked. Johnny looked over at him and frowned.

“What are you so worried about, babe?” he asked. Ten shook his head.

“It’s just…I’ve been undercover with the police for almost five years and every time a triad pulls this shit, we always catch them. And I’m just worried that y’all are going to get caught and it’s going to be very bad because I won’t be able to help you guys cuz I can’t blow my cover” he explained, starting to sound a little panicked. Kun huffed.

“Ten, everything will be fine. You just have to trust that Lucas knows what he’s doing” he soothed. Ten nodded as Jungwoo smiled.

“If Lucas gets rid of the bullet and I get rid of the gun, they’ll never trace it back to us” he assured. Ten frowned.

“How are you going to get rid of the gun?” he asked. Jungwoo smiled as he looked over at Lucas.

“You have gloves on you?” he asked. Lucas nodded and reached into his pocket, pulling out a pair of gloves. Jungwoo then took them before walking over to Kun.

“Gun, please” he instructed. Kun raised an eyebrow before he handed over his gun to Jungwoo.

“What are you going to do with that?” he asked. Jungwoo smiled. 

“I have some friends who owe me a favor; I’ll have them get rid of it. Your gun’s not registered, is it?” he asked, looking over at Kun, who just gave him a look back.

“What do I look like, an idiot?” he replied. Jungwoo smiled.

“Just checking” he assured. Sungchan then frowned.

“But…my fingerprints—” he started when Jungwoo waved a hand. 

“I have some chemicals that’ll erase your fingers prints that not even the best chemicals can pick up. Don’t worry, kid, we’ve got this” he assured before he smiled again and walked past all the members.

“I’ll be back. Lucas, start on that body!” he called out. Lucas smiled.

“You got it, babe” he replied before he turned and headed back into the morgue to start working. Everyone was stunned into silence before Ten took a deep breath.

“I hope this works” he murmured. Yangyang smiled.

“I’m sure it will, hyung. I trust them” he declared, making the other members of NCT smile. Ten looked over at him before he smirked.

“Well, if you trust them, then it definitely should work” he mused. Yangyang smiled as Taeyong crossed his arms.

“Alright, for real this time, go get some rest. We’ll see if Sungchan’s plan plays out” he mused. Sungchan nodded, as did the others, before they turned and headed off to do their own thing once more.

~*~*~*~*~

While Jungwoo was off asking his friends who owed him a favor to get rid of the gun, Lucas began to start working on the tattoo for the dead man’s chest. He first sketched out the design on a piece of paper before heading to his office to place it into a thermal-fax machine. Once the sketch was transferred to the special paper, he walked back to the body and put on gloves before making sure to pat the torso area dry since it had been in the refrigerator to keep it fresh. After the torso was patted dry, he carefully cut out the design and placed the thermal paper in the center of the body’s chest, gently dabbing it with a damp sponge. He made sure that the paper was damp but not soaked before he pulled the paper away to reveal the deep purple lines. 

“Nice, nice” he murmured, nodding to himself. He then turned and headed into his office, getting out his tattoo kit. He searched for his desired equipment before he grabbed what he needed and headed back into the morgue, setting everything up. He then took out the sterile needle out of the packaging and placed it into the machine, carefully setting the machine on its stand before taking out a small sterile cup into which he filled with a small amount of invisible ink. Once everything was in order, Lucas looked up at the body and smirked.

“Normally I’d tell you to prepare yourself, but seeing as you’re already dead, I won’t have to that” he teased before he took a deep breath and picked up the machine, turning it on. He then dipped the needle into the ink, taking up just a little bit before he turned to the body and began working. As he was working, the door to the morgue quietly opened and Sicheng stepped inside, walking over to him. He stood before the body and watched, careful not to make a lot of noise so that he didn’t throw off Lucas’s concentration. 

“I can still talk to you, you know, I just can’t really look up at you” Lucas stated as he continued to work on the tattoo. Sicheng hummed as he continued to watch Lucas work.

“Your work is amazing. I never knew you were a tattoo artist” he murmured. Lucas smirked.

“It was something that I enjoyed doing when I was younger before I went to medical school” he explained. Sicheng hummed.

“Well, you’re very talented” he praised. Lucas smiled.

“Thanks” he thanked. Sicheng then frowned.

“If I know anything about tattoos, don’t they have to heal?” he asked. Lucas nodded.

“Of course they do. But since this guy’s dead, that’s not going to happen. So unfortunately, the ink is going to run, probably, but that’s okay. If it smears, it’ll be a lot more difficult for to figure out who we are. But if they do decipher it, then it’ll just show that we’re a sending a message” he replied. Sicheng frowned.

“But if the ink’s just gonna run, why don’t we use normal ink?” he asked. Lucas smirked.

“Where’s the fun in that?” he replied, glancing up at him, just as Jungwoo walked into the morgue, making Sicheng turn and look at him.

“So, how did getting rid of the gun go?” he asked. Jungwoo smiled.

“Easy. The police will never find it” he assured. Sicheng nodded as Jungwoo walked over and looked down at the tattoo Lucas was working on.

“Looks great babe. Shame that no one will be able to see your work” he murmured. Lucas shrugged.

“I haven’t worked with invisible ink or done a tattoo in a while, so it’s nice to work with it again. I don’t really care that no one can see it or not” he replied. Jungwoo and Sicheng hummed before Sicheng looked over at Jungwoo.

“Let’s leave him to work. I’m sure he’ll come get us when he’s done” he murmured. Jungwoo nodded before both men turned and headed out of the morgue, leaving Lucas alone to finish the tattoo.

~*~*~*~*~

About an hour or so later, Taeyong popped into the morgue to check on Lucas and found him in his office, asleep in his chair. Taeyong smiled before he turned and walked out of the office, heading into the morgue to take a look at the body. He held his breath slightly since he wasn’t used to the smell of dead bodies, and walked over to the body, studying the tattoo. He frowned and tilted his head to the side; he couldn’t really see the tattoo design at all. As he was studying the red area, he hadn’t realized that Lucas had woken up from his nap and walked out of his office and back into the morgue. When he saw Taeyong standing over the body, he frowned.

“Hyung?” he called out. Taeyong jumped slightly and turned around, eyes wide, but when he saw it was just Lucas, he smiled.

“Lucas” he greeted. Lucas smiled nervously.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you” he apologized. Taeyong shook his head.

“It’s okay; I was just admiring your work. You’re really talented” he praised. Lucas smiled as he walked over to him and stood beside him.

“Thank you” he thanked. Taeyong then frowned.

“Forgive me, but…the tattoo won’t heal, correct?” he asked, looking over at Lucas. Lucas nodded.

“Mm” he replied. Taeyong nodded slowly.

“I see…I’m sure the others have asked this, but wouldn’t it have been better to use ink than invisible ink?” he asked. Lucas nodded.

“Well yes, but as you can see, you can’t really see the design that well, can you? It just looks like a large red area?” he asked. Taeyong nodded. Lucas smiled before he walked over and picked up a black light, plugging it in before looking at Taeyong.

“Could you turn off the lights?” he asked. Taeyong raised an eyebrow before he walked over to the light switch and turned it off. Lucas then turned on the black light, waiting for Taeyong to join him at his side before he shone the light over the body’s torso, revealing the NCT tattoo design. 

“Oh…” Taeyong gasped, eyes widening in awe. 

“Pretty cool right?” Lucas asked, looking over at him. Taeyong nodded.

“Very” he replied.

“You think we’ll be able to send a message?” Lucas asked, looking down at Taeyong. Taeyong nodded again.

“For sure” he assured.

~*~*~*~*~

A little while later, after Taeyong examined the body, Jungwoo, Ten, and Chenle hopped in one of the Escalades and drove to Ten’s work. When they arrived, it was pretty quiet, with very little police cars in the lot.

“Y’all short staffed or something?” Chenle asked, looking over at Ten. Ten shook his head.

“It’s the night shift. There aren’t that many cops on during the night shift” he explained. Chenle hummed before he pulled out a small device, pointing it at the police station.

“Alright, cameras are down. Better get a move on” he ordered. Ten and Jungwoo nodded, hopping out of the car before heading to the trunk, where Lucas had so kindly placed the body (in a clean body bag, of course). Both men then carefully removed the body bag from the trunk and carried it over to the police station, dumping it on the front door. After dumping the body, Jungwoo and Ten ran back to the car, Jungwoo shutting the trunk before getting in the car.

“Chenle, all the cameras are down, right?” Ten asked, looking at the young man in the back seat. Chenle nodded.

“The device has a 50 mile radius, so no camera will have caught us, not even car cams. So don’t worry” he assured. Ten let out a sigh of relief. 

“Good, good” he breathed. Chenle chuckled.

“You sure you’re really mafia, hyung? You’re acting kind of scared” he stated. Jungwoo huffed.

“He’s been undercover for a few years, Chenle. He’s gotten used to civilian life” he explained as he turned on the car and drove out of the lot; Chenle hitting the button to return the cameras to normal.

“I’m the hyung here” Ten grumbled. Chenle and Jungwoo fell silent as Ten sighed.

“You’re right, I’ve adjusted back to civilian life and I think more like a civilian than a triad member…it’ll take some time to adjust back” he murmured. Chenle smiled as he reached out and patted his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, hyung. Spend a few days with us, it’ll come back” he assured. Ten chuckled.

“Thank you” he murmured.

~*~*~*~*~

The next day, Ten returned home from the police station, chuckling to himself.

“I don’t how the fuck we pulled this off, but we did” he murmured, making Johnny, who was waiting for him, raise an eyebrow.

“What are you talking about, babe?” he asked. Ten looked at him and smiled.

“We successfully scared the shit out of the police” he replied. Johnny smiled slightly.

“Oh?” he replied. Ten nodded. 

“Apparently, when the night shift was changing with the day shift, they found the body and freaked out. They immediately launched an investigation and when they were about to do the autopsy, the doctors found Lucas’s tattoo. They had to use a blacklight to find it, but still, they found it. It scared the shit out of them and they decided to drop the investigation” he explained. Johnny blinked in surprise.

“They dropped it?” he breathed. Ten smiled slightly.

“I might…have mentioned that if they don’t…another body might show up on their doorstep” he replied with a shrug. Johnny grinned and pulled him into a hug, giving him a squeeze.

“You’re brilliant, baby” he praised. Ten grinned and leaned into Johnny’s hug.

“I know” he replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!
> 
> Also, please go over and show some love on my fic Witch Hunt. It would really mean a lot to me!


	15. Yamaguchi-gumi Comes Knocking

A few weeks later, as Shotaro was taking a nice walk through the park that was near the NCT headquarters, he noticed two people walking around who looked suspicious. He frowned and carefully walked over to them, careful not to be seen in case they were dangerous. As he crept closer, he heard a bit of what they were saying, making his eyes widen.

_“Where the hell is Osaki?”_ one man hissed. The other man shook his head.

_“He should have reported back by now…it doesn’t take him this long to kill somebody”_ he grumbled. Shotaro watched them, shaking his head slightly.

_‘Shit, shit, shit…’_ he thought to himself before he turned and dashed off, heading back to headquarters, not realizing that the two men who were talking about him turned when they heard the gravel crunch behind them.

_“Was that Osaki?”_ one man asked. The other man shook his head.

 _“I don’t know…should we follow him?”_ he asked. The first man nodded.

_“Probably”_ he answered. The two men then nodded to each other before they took off after Shotaro, who was more focused on getting home than worrying about the men that were following him.

~*~*~*~*~

When Shotaro returned to NCT, he immediately went to Sicheng’s lab, bursting through the door.

“Sicheng hyung, have you seen Yuta kun?” he asked. However, Sicheng wasn’t there, causing him to look around in confusion.

“Sicheng hyung?” he called out. Lucas, who was in his office working on some autopsy reports (that he would never turn in but still), poked his head out and smiled.

“Hey Taro. What’s up?” he asked. Shotaro looked over at him and smiled nervously.

“Have you seen Sicheng hyung and Yuta kun?” he replied. Lucas nodded.

“Check the gym. They normally have a morning sparring session together” he answered. Shotaro nodded.

“Thank you” he thanked, bowing before he turned and rushed out of the lab, running to the gym. When he ran inside, he indeed found Yuta and Sicheng sparring with each other, just like Lucas said they would.

“Yuta kun! Sicheng hyung!” he cried out, running over to them. Yuta and Sicheng immediately stopped their sparring and turned to look over at him.

“Shotaro? Shotaro, what’s wrong?” Yuta asked, immediately walking over to him. 

“I think…I think someone’s looking for me” Shotaro whispered, shaking slightly. Sicheng frowned.

“What do you mean, someone’s looking for you?” he asked. Shotaro let out a shuddery breath.

“I was…I was taking a walk through the park when I saw these two guys just kind of standing around, whispering to each other. They seemed…suspicious, so I just, you know, crept closer and they were speaking in Japanese” he explained. Yuta frowned.

“There aren’t that many Japanese people in Korea…what were they talking about?” he asked.

“Me!” Shotaro exclaimed. Sicheng frowned.

“What do you mean, you?” he asked. 

“I mean me! One asked _“Where the hell is Osaki”_ and the other said _“He should have reported back by now…it doesn’t take him this long to kill somebody”_. Who else could they be talking about?!” Shotaro exclaimed. Yuta quickly reached out and grabbed Shotaro by the arm, giving him a gentle shake.

“Taro, Taro, you need to breathe. Breathe” he soothed. Shotaro took a deep breath before he nodded.

“Okay, sorry. Sorry” he apologized.

“Did they see you?” Sicheng demanded. Shotaro shook his head.

“I don’t think so? But I don’t know, I’m sorry” he whimpered. Sicheng shook his head.

“Don’t apologize. We need to tell Taeyong” he declared. Yuta and Shotaro nodded before the three men walked out of the gym, heading towards Taeyong’s office when a gunshot rang out, making Shotaro, Yuta, and Sicheng jump back. The three men looked around, Shotaro narrowing his eyes when he noticed a glint.

“Get down” he shouted, dragging Yuta and Sicheng down as another shot rang out; the bullet embedding itself in the wall behind them. Due to the two gunshot, the 20 other NCT members rushed out of their rooms and labs, running over to Shotaro, Sicheng, and Yuta.

“What the hell is going on?” Kun demanded. 

“We’ve just come to collect what’s ours” a voice called out as two men stepped out of the shadows, a gun in one of the men’s hands.

“You can kindly fuck off” Yuta spat, taking a step forward. The man raised the gun, making Shotaro’s eyes widen before he stepped forward.

“Wait, wait, wait! Stop!” he shouted. The man paused and narrowed his eyes, looking at Shotaro as he shook his head.

“Don’t hurt them. Don’t hurt them, please. I’ll go with you, just leave my family alone” he begged. Everyone looked at him in shock as the two men continued to stare at him before one of the men sighed. 

“Fine. Pack your things and lets go” he ordered. Shotaro nodded and quickly turned, rushing upstairs to his shared bedroom with Sungchan. Since the group was so large, nobody noticed Sungchan slipping off to rush after Shotaro as Yuta and the others continued to glare at the two Yamaguchi-gumi members.

~*~*~*~*~

Up in their bedroom, Shotaro was quickly packing his things (just a few things that he had bought over the past few weeks) when Sungchan walked in the room.

“Taro” he whispered, making Shotaro look over at him with teary eyes.

“Sungchan” he croaked before he rushed over to the young man, hugging him tightly. Sungchan wrapped his arms around him, resting his cheek on his head as he rubbed his back.

“Don’t worry, I have a plan” he soothed, making Shotaro pull away and look at him in confusion.

“What do you mean?” he asked. Sungchan smiled slightly.

“Remember those late nights where we would talk about what would happen if your old family came to take you back?” he asked. Shotaro nodded.

“Yeah…” he replied. Sungchan smiled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace with a small capsule on the end of it. Shotaro frowned at the necklace before his eyes widened.

“Sungchan, you didn’t” he whispered. Sungchan smiled.

“With some help from Sicheng hyung, I perfected the recipe. You just have to make it yourself then slip it into their food and drink and well…no more Yamaguchi-gumi” he declared. Shotaro looked at him in shock.

“You want me to take out an entire yazuka?! I’m just one man!” he hissed. Sungchan smirked.

“You’re an assassin, aren’t you? It shouldn’t be that hard” he assured. Shotaro looked at him before he sighed and nodded.

“Alright, I’ll try” he agreed. Sungchan smiled before he reached out and placed the necklace over Shotaro’s head before tucking it into his shirt.

“So they won’t notice anything different” he explained. Shotaro nodded as Sungchan smiled at him sadly.

“I’ll miss you” he whispered. Shotaro sniffled.

“I’ll miss you too” he replied. Both men hugged each other before Shotaro pulled away and continued packing before he closed his small luggage. He then picked it up and carried it out of the room, Sungchan staying behind so that the Yamaguchi-gumi members didn’t think they were up to something. Shotaro then walked downstairs, walking through the NCT members, all of whom were looking at him sadly. As he walked past, Jisung slipped something into his hand while Chenle patted him on the shoulder; Shotaro smiling and nodding slightly to both of them. He then continued to walk towards the Yamaguchi-gumi members, glancing over at Sicheng, Yuta, Jaehyun, and Taeyong; Sicheng nodding slightly to him. Shotaro nodded again before he turned and walked over to the Yamaguchi-gumi members.

“Let’s go. Leave my family alone” he ordered. The two men nodded and turned, walking out of the NCT headquarters, Shotaro following behind. As they walked away, Shotaro glanced at NCT, the members smiling sadly as he left. Shotaro smiled tearily before he turned and followed after the two men, leaving all of the members a mixture of sad and angry. As soon they were gone, Sicheng, Sungchan, Jisung, and Chenle took off, rushing into the computer lab, confusing everyone.

“What the hell?” Doyoung murmured. Taeyong shook his head before he followed after the four men.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	16. Inside the Computer Lab

Inside the computer lab, Chenle and Jisung got on their computers, Sungchan and Sicheng standing behind them.

“Alright, Chenle activate the bug in his phone and in his jacket” Sicheng ordered before looking over at Jisung.

“Jisung, make sure to be ready whenever Shotaro activates the secure line” he instructed. Jisung nodded as Taeyong walked over to them and crossed his arms.

“What are you doing?” he asked. Sicheng, Sungchan, Chenle, and Jisung jumped before they looked over at him and smiled weakly.

“Hyung…we’re just tracking Shotaro” Chenle admitted. Taeyong frowned.

“Tracking him?” he repeated. Sungchan nodded.

“Why are we tracking him?” Taeyong asked, crossing his arms. Sicheng, Chenle, Jisung, and Sungchan looked at each other before they looked back at Taeyong.

“Well, a few weeks ago, I found Shotaro having a panic attack about the fact that he hadn’t reported to his boss about the kill of the triad leader and he was afraid that they were going to send somebody to come and collect him” Sungchan started.

“Which obviously happened” Chenle interjected. Sicheng hushed him as Sungchan kept explaining.

“Shotaro doesn’t want to go back to his old family but he can’t leave because it’s the yakuza” he continued. Taeyong nodded slowly in understand.

“Right because the only way to leave the yakuza is either die or—” he started.

“Kill the whole family” a voice called out, making everyone turn to see Yuta walking over to them.

“Hyung!” Jisung, Chenle, and Sungchan exclaimed. Yuta smirked.

“I’m Japanese, I know this stuff” he reminded before he crossed his arms.

“So, how is Shotaro going to escape?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at Sungchan. Sungchan smiled.

“I actually consulted Sicheng hyung and Lucas hyung on this and after a lot of research, they found a poison used in Italy called “Aqua Tofana”. It’s a blend of arsenic, lead, and belladonna. It’s basically colorless and tasteless, which is perfect for putting it in someone’s drink” he explained, Sicheng nodding in agreement.

“It took a lot of testing and trial and error, but we finally got it to what we think is the right combination” he stated. Taeyong and the others frowned.

“How…did you test it?” he asked. Sicheng shrugged.

“Whenever you brought in people to interrogate and after you were done with them, Sungchan, Lucas and I used them as test subjects” he replied. Chenle, Jisung, Yuta, and Taeyong looked at him and Sungchan with wide eyes.

“My God hyung…” Chenle whispered. Taeyong and Yuta both shook their heads.

“I never knew you had such a dark side, Winko” Yuta murmured. Sicheng huffed.

“Why are you guys surprised? We’re literally mafia. _We kill people_. Or did you guys forget that little fact?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. Jisung frowned.

“But aren’t you and Lucas hyung doctors? Didn’t you take an oath not to harm others?” he asked. Sicheng sighed.

“I did…but I’m not so sure I’m upholding that oath anymore…” he murmured. Taeyong looked at him before he smiled.

“I think you’re doing just fine, Winwin. You may not follow an “oath” as you say, but you still follow your heart and what you think is right. And if you think this is the right thing to do, then it’s the right thing to do. You don’t need to follow some oath to be a good doctor, because you _are_ a good doctor” he soothed. Sicheng smiled at him gratefully as Chenle looked at Sungchan.

“So, remind me, what these tests were for?” he asked. Sungchan smiled slightly.

“In my former family, I was the poison expert, so I had to do these tests to make sure the poison I gave Shotaro would be the right concoction” he explained. Jisung frowned.

“But…he’s going through the airport…won’t they find it?” he asked. Sungchan shook his head.

“No. Because I didn’t give him the poison, I gave him the recipe on how to _create_ the poison” he declared. Everyone nodded slowly in understanding, just as Jisung’s computer pinged.

“Oh!” he exclaimed, quickly spinning in his chair to check his computer.

“It’s Shotaro. He just accessed the secure line” he stated. Everyone quickly surrounded his chair, looking at his screen.

“Jisung, project your screen onto the big screen” Chenle instructed. Jisung nodded and pressed a few keys on his keyboard before his screen was projected onto the large screen at the front of the room.

“Secure line?” Taeyong asked, looking down at Jisung. Jisung nodded. 

“Yeah, it’s a way for Shotaro to contact us without the yakuza bugging the line, listening in on the calls, or reading his messages. Even if they tried to access it, they’d have to go through an _insane_ amount of firewall that Chenle and I created and not even the best hacker in the world can break through. The way to contact us is also hidden in an app so that even if his superiors go through his phone, they won’t find anything suspicious because the app just shows up and works like a normal app” he explained. The others hummed as they looked at the message Shotaro sent.

_Heading to airport._

_Will try to be as quick as possible._

_If not back in a week, please come save me._

“Don’t worry Taro, we will” Taeyong whispered, the others nodding in agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter update. Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	17. Phase 1

After Shotaro arrived in Japan, he was immediately taken to the Yamaguchi-gumi headquarters and brought before the Oyabun, Sawaguchi, the head of the yakuza. He stood before Sawaguchi in silence for a few minutes before Sawaguchi slowly walked over to him and stood before him.

_“You were late in your report, Osaki”_ he murmured. Shotaro nodded.

_“Yes sir”_ he replied. Sawaguchi hummed.

_“Was it a successful kill?”_ he asked. Shotaro hesitated before he nodded.

_“Yes sir”_ he replied. Sawaguchi nodded.

_“Good, good”_ he murmured before he narrowed his eyes at Shotaro.

_“My lieutenant told me that you joined a new family”_ he stated. Shotaro lowered his head.

_“Yes sir”_ he answered. Sawaguchi growled and raised his hand before slapping Shotaro, causing him to fall to the floor.

_“You idiot. You can only belong to one family: my family! Don’t you forget that”_ he spat. Shotaro nodded weakly as he clutched at his cheek, trying desperately not to cry.

 _“Get up. Get up!”_ Sawaguchi shouted. Shotaro nodded and slowly pushed himself to his feet, keeping his head lowered.

_“Look at me”_ Sawaguchi ordered. Shotaro slowly lifted his head, looking into Sawaguchi’s cold eyes.

_“You belong to me, understand? No one else”_ he growled. Shotaro nodded as Sawaguchi pointed away from him.

 _“Get out of my sight. And don’t even think about trying to escape or I will find you and kill you”_ he threatened. Shotaro nodded before he turned and quickly headed out of the room. 

~*~*~*~*~

After leaving Sawaguchi’s presence, Shotaro quickly headed to the kitchen, where he then proceeded to walk over to the head chef.

_“Tanaka-san, I need your help”_ he whispered, making the older woman look over at him and smile.

_“Shotaro-kun. What can I help you with?”_ she asked. Shotaro looked around before he reached into his shirt, pulling out the necklace with the capsule. He then unscrewed the capsule, pulling out the recipe for the “Aqua Tofana” which he then showed to Tanaka.

_“I need these ingredients”_ he explained. Tanaka studied the recipe before she hummed.

_“I believe you’ll have to go shopping for these things…do you need me to go with you?”_ she asked, looking at Shotaro. Shotaro shook his head.

_“If you can, can you buy this for me?”_ he asked, holding out the recipe. Tanaka looked at him with wide eyes.

_“For what?”_ she whispered. Shotaro didn’t have to say anything, he just looked into her eyes and she knew.

 _“Oh sweetheart…are you sure you want to do this?”_ she asked. Shotaro nodded.

_“I have to go home to my family. My real family. Please, help me?”_ he asked. Tanaka looked at him before she sighed.

 _“Alright…I’ll try”_ she agreed. Shotaro smiled before he surged forward and gave her a giant hug.

_“Thank you, Tanaka-san! Thank you!”_ he thanked. Tanaka looked at him before she smiled and gently patted his back.

_“You’re welcome”_ she replied. She then pulled away, looking Shotaro in the eye.

_“You need to hide the recipe. You cannot let anyone see it”_ she instructed. Shotaro nodded and quickly rolled up the recipe, sticking it back into the necklace capsule before hiding the necklace back under his shirt. Tanaka smiled and nodded before she motioned for Shotaro to leave the kitchen so that no one would be suspicious. Shotaro nodded and quickly left, heading to his room to change into workout clothes, since he might as well do something productive while he was here. Once he left, Tanaka let out a heavy sigh before she shook her head.

_‘He’s only a boy…’_ she thought to herself.

~*~*~*~*~

Up in Shotaro’s room, Shotaro quickly changed into gym clothes before he pulled out his phone, opening the special app that Jisung created. He then typed in the password that transformed the app into a secure way to call and text out of the country without being bugged or tracked. Once he was secure, he pressed the number in the app, pressing the “face time” button. A few moments later, Jisung’s face appeared on the screen. When he saw Shotaro, he smiled.

_“Shotaro hyung”_ he greeted. Shotaro smiled in returned.

“Jisung. How is everything?” he asked. Jisung huffed.

_“Everyone’s worried about you, especially Sungchan and Yuta”_ he replied. Shotaro hummed before he sighed.

“Is there a way that I could talk to them?” he asked. Jisung sighed and shook his head.

_“They’re currently out on a job”_ he replied. Shotaro frowned.

“Oh…” he murmured. 

_“But…would you like to talk to Taeyong hyung? He’s standing beside me”_ Jisung stated. Shotaro perked up slightly before he nodded.

“Yeah, I’d like to” he replied. 

_“Hang on”_ Jisung instructed, handing the phone off. Taeyong’s face soon appeared on the screen, making Shotaro smile.

“Hyung” he greeted. Taeyong smiled fondly.

_“Taro. How are you? Are you safe?”_ he asked. Shotaro nodded, causing Taeyong to let out a sigh of relief.

 _“That’s good. As Jisung said, Sungchan and Yuta are very concerned about you. When they return, I’ll make sure to have them call you”_ he assured. Shotaro smiled.

“Thank you hyung” he thanked. Taeyong smiled and nodded before he frowned.

 _“How’s the…plan coming?”_ he asked. Shotaro nodded.

“I asked the head chef to help me buy the ingredients as I’m not allowed to leave the headquarters. I’m basically under house arrest” he explained. Taeyong frowned as Chenle, who was also with them, poked his head into the frame.

_“You sure you wanna trust that chef, hyung?”_ he asked. Shotaro nodded.

“She basically raised me since I was taken in by the yakuza when I was a child” he explained. Taeyong, Jisung, and Chenle fell silent just as there was a knock at the door.

“Osaki!” a voice called through the door. Shotaro froze, as did Taeyong, Jisung, and Chenle, before Shotaro looked at his phone.

“I have to go. I’ll check back in soon” he whispered. Taeyong nodded.

_“I’ll have either Sungchan or Yuta text you when they get back”_ he replied before he hung up. Shotaro then quickly locked his phone before he walked over to the door and opened it.

_“Yes?”_ he asked, looking at the man standing at his door.

 _“Tanaka-san wants to see you”_ he stated. Shotaro bowed and waited for the man to step out of his way before he slipped out of his room and headed downstairs to the kitchen, where Tanaka was waiting for him.

_“Tanaka-san”_ he greeted. Tanaka smiled as she took out the groceries from her reusable bag before she pulled out the ingredients that Shotaro needed to make “Aqua Tofana”. Shotaro let out a delighted gasp.

_“Tanaka-san, you’re amazing!”_ he exclaimed, rushing forward to give the woman a hug. Tanaka smiled and patted his back before she pulled away.

_“You work over there, and I’ll get started on dinner”_ she instructed. Shotaro nodded and grabbed the bottles, heading over to the opposite side of the kitchen to work on the concoction, pulling out the recipe that Sungchan made. He then got to work measuring out the correct amounts of each poison, placing them into a large mixing bowl before stirring them together. After the concoction was mixed, he carefully ladled it into a small bottle before labelling it “Aqua Tofana”. Once the mixture was made, he then walked over to one of the many sinks in the kitchen and put on rubber cleaning gloves before he placed soap in the bowl and cleaned it out, making sure that there was nothing on there that could be traced. After the bowl was cleaned and hung up, Shotaro walked over to Tanaka and smiled at her.

_“The poison is made. Does everyone have their own individual drinks or do they all drink the same thing during dinner?”_ he asked. Tanaka looked over at him and hummed.

_“For this meal, everyone will be drinking wine”_ she replied. Shotaro nodded and walked over to one of the fancy pitchers that they used for wine and took sawaguchi’s favorite wine, pouring two bottles into the pitcher. Once the wine was in the pitcher, he took out the small bottle of poison and was about to place a few drops into the pitcher when Tanaka looked over at him.

_“Wouldn’t it be suspicious if everyone suddenly got sick instead of just one person?”_ she asked. Shotaro paused before he hummed. 

_“I don’t think so. If anyone questions you, you can just say they might have gotten food poisoning. Or the flu”_ he replied. Tanaka nodded before she went back to preparing the meal, only to pause again.

_“Wouldn’t it be easier to just use cyanide? It’s a fast acting poison if used in large quantities”_ she reminded. Shotaro nodded.

_“It would, but this is colorless and tasteless. And it’s also slow acting. So no one would be suspicious. You also can’t trace it in an autopsy”_ he explained. Tanaka nodded slowly before she smiled.

 _“You really thought this over, haven’t you?”_ she mused. Shotaro was quiet before he nodded.

_“I never wanted to come back…getting assigned to take out that triad leader was probably the best thing that happened to me. Not that I didn’t miss you, Tanaka san, but…”_ he started when Tanaka waved her hand.

_“You don’t have to explain to me. I understand. Does your new family treat you well?”_ she asked. Shotaro beamed.

_“They’re really nice and everyone takes care of each other. The leader is also really nice”_ he replied before he smiled nervously.

 _“I even have a boyfriend”_ he whispered. Tanaka gasped and clasped her hands together.

 _“Oh sweetheart, that’s amazing! I’m so happy for you”_ she exclaimed, just as a bell rang, making Shotaro and Tanaka look up to see the “dinner bell” ringing.

_“Looks like it’s time. Care to help me?”_ Tanaka asked, looking over at Shotaro. Shotaro nodded and grabbed the pitcher of wine as Tanaka grabbed the large pot of curry that she had made and placed it on to a cart. The dinner table had already been set so all they had to do was fill the dinner bowls and wine glasses. They then headed out of the kitchen; Shotaro filling the wine glasses with the poisoned wine while Tanaka filled the bowls with curry. The yakuza members then began to dig in, Shotaro and Tanaka standing off to the side to refill anyone’s glasses or bowls with wine or curry. Now you might think, “Why isn’t Shotaro sitting at the table with the others?” and that’s an easy question to answer. Shotaro was an assassin under contract with the Yamaguchi-gumi; he wasn’t an actual member. So in their minds, since he wasn’t a true member, he didn’t deserve to sit at the table and eat with them. Not that he really cared, he always ate with Tanaka and he was quite content to do so. Both he and Tanaka watched as the yakuza members devoured the curry and downed the wine, laughing and talking as if nothing with was wrong (because they didn’t think anything _was_ wrong). They continued to watch until sawaguchi waved them away, allowing them to head back to the kitchen to eat their dinner. Shotaro quickly poured the poisoned wine down the drain and washed the pitcher, making sure that it was clean while Tanaka placed the remaining servings of the curry into bowls for herself and Shotaro before going to get bottles of water for them to drink. After cleaning out the pitcher, Shotaro pulled out his phone and opened up the special app, sending a quick message.

_Phase 1: completed_

He then put his phone away before he walked over to Tanaka, grabbing his bowl and bottle of water before they walked over to the small table that was in the kitchen and sat down, eating their dinner. As they ate, Shotaro felt his phone buzz, so he pulled it out to see that his “app” had a notification. He opened the app and found that he had a response to his message.

_Hope you are staying safe. Please call when you’re able_

_~Yuta_

Shotaro smiled at the message, making Tanaka raise an eyebrow and smile.

_“Is that the boyfriend?”_ she asked. Shotaro looked up at her with wide eyes before he shook his head.

_“No, it’s my friend Yuta kun. He’s also Japanese. He takes really good care of me and cares about me a lot”_ he replied. Tanaka smiled and nodded.

 _“I’m glad someone is taking care of my baby”_ she murmured. Shotaro smiled, just as the dinner bell rang again.

 _“Looks like it’s time to clean up”_ he murmured. Tanaka nodded and both of them stood up, heading out of the kitchen to clean up the dishes. 

~*~*~*~*~

After cleaning up the dishes, Shotaro headed back to his room, where he quickly got dressed for bed before pulling out his phone. He then opened the app and pressed the “facetime” button, hoping that someone would pick up. Soon Yuta’s face appeared on the screen, making Shotaro grin.

“Yuta kun” he greeted. Yuta beamed.

_“Shotaro. Thank god you’re okay”_ he breathed.

 _“Is that Shotaro?”_ a voice asked before Sicheng’s face appeared on the screen. Shotaro smiled.

“Sicheng hyung” he replied. Sicheng smiled fondly.

_“Shotaro. How are you?”_ he asked. Shotaro nodded.

“I’m good. Like my message said, I completed phase 1. Hopefully the poison works because if not, I might just switch to cyanide” he stated. Sicheng hummed.

 _“Quick, efficient killer. Just be careful though, because if an autopsy is done on any of the members, it will be detected in the bloodstream, bile, or urine if found in large doses. I’ll confirm with Lucas and see what he thinks about using it. Are you planning on taking out the whole yakuza?”_ he asked. Shotaro nodded.

“I’m going to try” he replied. Yuta whistled low and shook his head.

_“Be careful kid. That’s a huge task”_ he reminded. Shotaro nodded.

“I know. But…I think I can do it” he assured. Yuta and Sicheng both gave him a look of concern before they sighed and nodded.

 _“Alright. Like I said, be careful”_ Yuta instructed. Shotaro nodded.

“Okay” he replied. Yuta and Sicheng smiled fondly before Sicheng chuckled.

 _“Sungchan has been dying to speak with you, so we’ll connect you over to him”_ he stated, pressing a button. Soon Sungchan’s face appeared on the screen, making Shotaro grin widely.

“Sungchan” he greeted. Sungchan smiled brightly.

 _“Taro. Are you okay?”_ he asked. Shotaro nodded. 

“I’m fine. I made the poison today…I think it’s going to work but we’re just going to have to wait till tomorrow to see if it actually worked” he stated. Sungchan nodded.

_“Okay, just be careful. I don’t want you to get caught; I’m afraid of what they’d do to you”_ he murmured. Shotaro huffed.

“I’m so insignificant to them that they won’t know what hit them” he murmured. Sungchan frowned.

 _“I don’t like you talking about yourself like that…you’re not insignificant…at least not to me”_ he admitted. Shotaro blushed.

“Thank you” he thanked. Sungchan smiled and nodded as Shotaro yawned.

_“You must be tired. I’ll let you get some sleep. Let us know if the poison worked. Love you”_ Sungchan stated. Shotaro blushed again before he nodded.

“Okay. Love you too” he bid before he hung up the call, making sure to plug in his phone so that it would be fully charged by the next morning. He then tugged the blanket up to his chin and shut his eyes, soon slipping off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	18. Phase 2

The next morning, when Shotaro woke, he quickly got ready and got dressed before grabbing his phone and slipping out of his bedroom. As he walked around the Yamaguchi-gumi headquarters, he noticed that a lot of the members were groaning and shivering, and a few of them were even sniffling. He was careful to not make any eye-contact with them as he walked past, trying not to seem suspicious that he was the only one who wasn’t sick like the rest of them. He then slipped into the kitchen, making himself a quick breakfast before anyone could catch him and question him. As he was eating, he sent a text to the NCT members to let them know that Phase 1 worked that that later on that night, he would work on Phase 2. After eating, Shotaro headed to the gym to work out, just in case the poison didn’t work and he would have to take the yakuza out the old-fashion way. He worked out hard, doing some cardio and weight training as well as some boxing. After working out, he headed back to his room to shower and relax, since like he told Taeyong, Jisung, and Chenle, he was basically on house arrest. So he played on his phone for a little while, took a nap, woke up, read a book, and then alternated back and forth between all of those things until dinner time, when one of the yakuza members came to get him so that he could help Tanaka with dinner preparations.

~*~*~*~*~

In the kitchen, Shotaro once again prepared the wine while Tanaka prepared a large fancy fish dinner. 

_“So, did the poison work?”_ Tanaka asked, looking over at Shotaro. Shotaro nodded.

 _“The first small dosage produces cold-like symptoms, which looks like what everyone but us has. The next small dosage will still keep the cold-like symptoms, maybe just a little bit worse. That’s what tonight will be”_ he declared. Tanaka nodded and watched as Shotaro placed about 2-3 drops of “Aqua Tofana” into the wine pitcher before stirring it to mix it together.

_“Ready?”_ Tanaka asked. Shotaro nodded and first helped Tanaka take out the plates of the fancy fish dinner before heading back into the kitchen to grab the pitcher of wine. He then poured the wine into the wine glasses before heading into the kitchen with Tanaka, waiting to see if anyone else would want more wine. Everyone asked for a second glass, so he poured them all a second glass before dumping down the rest of the wine down the sink, making sure to clean the pitcher well. 

_“Do you think this is going to work?”_ Tanaka asked, looking over at Shotaro. Shotaro nodded.

 _“I think so…we just have to make it to the third and fourth day…and once we make it then, we should be good”_ he assured. Tanaka nodded slowly, making Shotaro frown.

 _“Are you worried, Tanaka san?”_ he asked. Tanaka looked over at him before she smiled.

 _“Just a little. But only because you are so young and you are taking on this large group all by yourself”_ she explained. Shotaro smiled.

_“But I’m not taking them on by myself. I have you and my members back home”_ he assured. Tanaka smiled before her face turned serious. 

_“You have to fake your illness on the third day, because they will start to become suspicious of you if you’re the only one not sick”_ she stated. Shotaro’s eyes widened.

_“Oh, you’re right. I didn’t think of that. Thank you, Tanaka san!”_ he thanked. Tanaka smiled and nodded as the dinner bell rang again, signaling them to clean up.

~*~*~*~*~

After cleaning up, Shotaro headed back to his room and opened the app, pressing the “call button”. Soon Doyoung and Taeil appeared on the screen, making Shotaro blink in surprise.

“Did Jisung add this app to everyone’s phone?” he asked. Taeil laughed.

_“He did it just as a precaution, just in case you couldn’t get in touch with a certain person”_ he explained. Shotaro smiled slightly.

“Honestly, I never know who’s going to answer me at this point” he replied. Doyoung smiled before he tilted his head.

 _“You’re taking care of yourself, right? Not getting hurt or anything?”_ he asked. Shotaro shook his head.

“No hyung” he replied. Doyoung nodded. 

_“Good, good. How’s the plan going?”_ he asked. Shotaro nodded.

“Good, just finished Phase 2 this evening” he replied. Taeil hummed. 

_“You’re being careful, aren’t you? They haven’t noticed that you’re the only one who’s not sick?”_ he asked. Shotaro shook his head.

“No. After tomorrow I will have to pretend that I’m sick, because that third dose is the one that makes them feel really sick” he explained. Doyoung and Taeil nodded, just as tears came to Shotaro’s eyes and he let out a little whimper, making the two men look at him with concern and wide eyes.

 _“Shotaro! Shotaro, what’s wrong?”_ Doyoung asked, concerned. Shotaro sniffled and wiped his eyes.

“I’m scared, hyung” he whispered. Taeil frowned.

_“Why?”_ he asked. Shotaro let out a soft sob as he looked at the two men.

“Because what if this doesn’t work? What if I’ve done all this work only for it to not work? What if I can’t come home?” he sobbed. Doyoung looked at him softly.

_“Oh Shotaro…everything will turn out alright. Don’t worry. It’ll be okay”_ he soothed. Taeil nodded in agreement. 

_“Exactly. If things don’t work out, we’ll get you out of there. We promise”_ he assured. Shotaro looked at him with big eyes.

“Really?” he asked. Doyoung and Taeil nodded.

_“Of course”_ they replied before Doyoung smiled softly.

 _“I know you’re probably too old for this, but would it help if we sang you a song to help you sleep?”_ he asked. Shotaro blinked before he smiled tearily.

“Yes” he replied. Taeil and Doyoung smiled at each other before they cleared their throat and began to sing softly, a soothing Korean lullaby. Shotaro smiled and quickly plugged in his phone before he laid down, placing his phone next to him as Taeil and Doyoung continued to sing, lulling him to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe1


	19. Phase 3

The next morning, Shotaro awoke to feeling his phone vibrate, so he opened his eyes and blinked away the sleepiness before he picked up his phone, the screen flashing to show that he had a notification from the app. He frowned and clicked the notification, the app opening to show that he a facetime call waiting for him. His eyes widened and he answered the call, Kun, Jungwoo, and Lucas’s face soon appearing on the screen.

_“Hey Taro”_ Lucas greeted. Shotaro smiled brightly.

“Kun hyung, Jungwoo hyung, Lucas hyung” he replied. Kun then smiled fondly.

 _“Doyoung and Taeil told me that you had a bit of a break down last night and we thought we would just check in and see how you’re doing”_ he explained. Shotaro smiled, feeling tears come to his eyes.

“Thank you” he thanked. Jungwoo nodded.

 _“Of course. We’re family, we always check on each other”_ he assured before he raised an eyebrow.

 _“So, how the plan coming? The Aqua Tofana working okay?”_ he asked. Shotaro nodded.

“So far. Tonight is phase 3, which should make them even sicker before phase 4, which is where they die” he explained. Lucas hummed.

 _“When you last spoke to Sicheng, you asked if you should use potassium cyanide instead the Aqua Tofana and while I do think that potassium cyanide is a much more potent killer, it will be found in the system”_ he stated. Kun nodded.

_“It also has the smell of almonds, so if someone ever decided to do an investigation, they would probably smell the almonds. So, just stick with the Aqua Tofana for now”_ he suggested. Shotaro nodded. 

“Okay…” he agreed before he looked at Kun, Jungwoo, and Lucas.

“I’m scared, hyung” he whispered. Kun, Jungwoo, and Lucas shook their heads.

 _“You’re going to be okay, Shotaro. Just trust the process. You’re going to be fine. You’ll be able to come home soon”_ Kun assured. Shotaro nodded as Lucas smiled and lifted his hand, clenching his hand into a fist.

 _“Shotaro, fighting!”_ he cheered. Kun and Jungwoo did the same with their fists, making Shotaro smile and nod, just as there was a knock on his door. Shotaro’s eyes widened as he looked towards the door before he looked back at Jungwoo, Kun, and Lucas.

“I have to go. I’ll call later” he whispered. Jungwoo, Lucas, and Kun nodded before they ended the call and Shotaro quickly hid his phone before getting off his bed and walking over to the door. He then opened it slightly to see one of the members standing there, looking ill.

_“Yamagi-san, what is it?”_ he asked.

 _“Sawaguchi wants to see you”_ Yamagi replied. Shotaro’s eyes widened before he nodded.

 _“I’ll be right there”_ he assured. Yamagi shook his head.

 _“No, now”_ he deadpanned. Shotaro gulped before he nodded and opened his door wider, stepping out of his room. Yamagi then led Shotaro to sawaguchi’s office, where sawaguchi, Sawaguchi, and Tanaka were waiting. Shotaro’s eyes widened slightly as Sawaguchi pointed at him.

 _“It seems that you and Tanaka-san are the only ones who aren’t sick…care to explain?”_ he asked. Shotaro’s mouth fell open, not sure how to respond, when Tanaka stepped forward.

 _“It was me. I’ve been poisoning the food so that you would get sick”_ she explained. Shotaro looked at her in horror as Sawagumi raised an eyebrow.

_“Oh? Is that so?”_ he asked. Shotaro shook his head slightly as Sawaguchi reached over and grabbed his gun off his desk, pointing it at Tanaka.

 _“Sawaguchi-san, what are you doing?!”_ Shotaro exclaimed. Sawaguchi smirked. 

_“Getting rid of the traitor”_ he replied. Shotaro looked between him and Tanaka before he stepped forward.

_“She’s lying! She didn’t poison you, you all have the flu!”_ he exclaimed. Sawaguchi turned and looked at him, frowning.

 _“What do you mean?”_ he asked, lowering the gun. Shotaro let out a sigh of relief before he looked into Sawaguchi’s eyes.

 _“The reason you guys are sick and we’re not is because one of you probably got the flu and infected everyone else because you’re always around each other. Tanaka san and I didn’t get sick because I stay in my room and Tanaka stays in the kitchen”_ he explained. Sawaguchi looked at him then looked at Tanaka before he huffed and pointed at Shotaro.

_“Keep an eye on her…if she is poisoning us, I want you to kill her. Do you understand?”_ he growled. Shotaro’s eyes widened before he nodded.

 _“Yes sir”_ he replied. Sawaguchi then waved his hand.

 _“Dismissed”_ he declared. Shotaro nodded before he walked over to Tanaka and grabbed her by the wrist, dragging her out of his office. They then quickly headed to the kitchen, where Shotaro looked at Tanaka with wide eyes.

 _“Tanaka san, what are you doing?! You could have been killed!!”_ he exclaimed. Tanaka smiled sadly at him.

 _“I am an old woman, Shotaro-kun. I have served my purpose well…it wouldn’t be dishonorable to die that way”_ she replied. Shotaro shook his head.

 _“No, you can’t die! I can’t do this without you!”_ he exclaimed. Tanaka smiled before she huffed and nodded.

 _“Alright. I promise I won’t do something like that again”_ she assured. Shotaro let out a heavy sigh of relief as he walked over to one of the chairs in the kitchen, sitting down before he collapsed. Tanaka walked over to him and knelt before him, smiling sadly.

_“I’m sorry Shotaro-kun. I shouldn’t have scared you like that. Forgive me”_ she asked. Shotaro looked at her before he smiled and nodded.

 _“I forgive you, Tanaka san”_ he assured. Tanaka smiled.

 _“Shall we prep for dinner?”_ she asked. Shotaro nodded and stood up from where he was sitting, walking over to the stove to help Tanaka make dinner when he paused and looked at her. 

_“Tanaka san, can you do me one more favor?”_ he asked. Tanaka raised an eyebrow.

 _“What is it, sweetheart?”_ she asked. 

_“If it’s not too much trouble, can you go and get potassium cyanide. Or cyanide, I don’t care which one you get”_ Shotaro stated. Tanaka looked at him before she nodded.

 _“I can try. No promises though”_ she reminded. Shotaro nodded before Tanaka smiled.

 _“I’ll head out now. If anyone asks where I am, say I’m buying groceries for dinner tonight”_ she instructed. Shotaro nodded and watched as Tanaka grabbed her grocery bag before walking out of the kitchen, nodding to the yakuza members as she walked past them. Thankfully they didn’t say anything about it so Shotaro just waited until she was out of the headquarters before he quickly and quietly slipped off back to his room, hopefully to give his members another call before this evening. He quickly shut the door and locked it before he walked over to his bed and pulled out his phone from where it was hiding under his pillow, unlocking it before heading to the app. He then typed in the password to really unlock it before he pressed the facetime button, Jaehyun and Johnny soon answering the call.

_“Shotaro. How you doing kid?”_ Johnny asked, a gentle smile on his face. Shotaro smiled weakly before he let out a sigh.

“I’m scared” he admitted. Jaehyun nodded.

_“We heard from Doyoung and Taeil as well as Kun, Jungwoo, and Lucas”_ he replied. Shotaro shook his head.

“No, you don’t understand. Sawaguchi was almost onto us…he almost shot Tanaka san because he was suspicious why we were the only two not sick like the rest of them” he explained, looking at them in the eyes.

“If I hadn’t lied on the spot, Tanaka san would have been dead and I would have been next!” he exclaimed. Jaehyun held up a hand.

_“Shotaro, you need to breathe, okay? You need to breathe”_ he soothed. Shotaro nodded and took a few deep breaths as Johnny looked at him in concern.

_“Do we need to come get you? Or can you hold out for another day or so?”_ he asked. Shotaro looked at him before he took another deep breath.

“If…if I can poison them tonight and make them really sick, then I should be okay” he replied. Jaehyun and Johnny looked at each other before they looked back at Shotaro.

 _“Are you sure?”_ Jaehyun asked. Shotaro nodded.

“I’ll be fine, hyung, really” he assured. Johnny and Jaehyun looked at each other again before they nodded.

 _“Alright, we trust you. But you call us the minute you don’t feel safe, okay? We’ll be on the next plane out”_ Johnny stated. Shotaro smiled and dipped his head.

“Thank you hyung. Really” he thanked. Johnny nodded, just as Ten popped his head in.

 _“Hey Taro. Everything okay?”_ he asked. Shotaro blinked in surprise before he smiled.

“Hi, Ten hyung. Yes, everything’s fine. I’ve never asked, but is everything going okay back home?” he asked. Jaehyun, Johnny, and Ten nodded.

 _“Busy as usual. Nothing really interesting’s happening. We’re all mainly just concerned about you and your wellbeing and how you’re doing”_ Ten explained. Shotaro looked at him in surprise.

“Really?” he whispered. Jaehyun, Johnny, and Ten frowned.

 _“Of course, why do you ask?”_ Jaehyun asked. Shotaro shook his head.

“It’s just…the only person who ever cared about me here was Tanaka san…nobody else sees me other than Tanaka san’s assistant or the hired assassin” he explained. Johnny, Jaehyun, and Ten were quiet before Johnny let out a low, irritated breath.

 _“Be glad I’m over here and not over there, Taro, because there would be some bloodshed”_ he murmured. Shotaro giggled, making Johnny smile.

_“Oh good, you’re smiling. That’s always a good sign”_ he mused. Shotaro smiled and nodded, just as there was a knock on his door.

_“Osaki. Tanaka san wants you to help her with dinner”_ the voice called out. Shotaro looked towards the door and nodded, even though the person couldn’t see him.

_“Okay”_ he called back before he looked at his phone.

“Gotta go. I’ll call or text tonight to let you guys know if Phase 3 works out” he stated. Johnny, Jaehyun, and Ten nodded.

 _“Be careful kid, okay?”_ Jaehyun instructed. Shotaro nodded.

“Okay” he replied before he ended the call and put his phone in his pocket, standing up from his bed. He then walked over to the door and opened it to find Yamagi standing there.

 _“Thank you, Yamagi-san”_ he thanked. Yamagi huffed.

 _“Yeah, sure, whatever”_ he replied before he turned and walked away. Shotaro huffed before he shook his head and headed to the kitchen, where Tanaka was waiting for him with a bright smile.

_“What’s on the menu tonight, Tanaka san?”_ he asked. Tanaka smiled.

 _“Tonkatsu curry”_ she replied. Shotaro gasped.

 _“Uwah, we’re eating good tonight”_ he breathed. Tanaka nodded. 

_“I thought you might like it. Oh, and I also got this”_ she stated as she reached into her grocery bag and pulled out a bag of small white pills.

 _“What is that?”_ Shotaro asked. 

_“Potassium cyanide. I couldn’t find cyanide in liquid form, but the chemist who gave me this said it works just as good”_ Tanaka replied. Shotaro’s eyes widened and he reached out, taking the bag from her as he looked at the pills.

_“Is that enough?”_ she asked. Shotaro looked up at her and nodded.

 _“More than enough”_ he assured. Tanaka smiled.

 _“Good. Now, let’s prepare dinner!”_ she declared.

~*~*~*~*~

A little while later, after Tanaka and Shotaro had made dinner, they went out and placed the plates before the yakuza members.

_“Where’s our drinks?”_ one of the members asked.

_“Do you want wine or beer?”_ Shotaro replied.

 _“Beer, obviously”_ Sawaguchi replied. Shotaro nodded before he turned and headed back into the kitchen, grabbing a large pitcher. He filled up the pitcher with the only beer on tap (they were the yakuza, of course they had beer on tap) before placing around 3-4 drops of “Aqua Tofana” into the beer, making sure to stir it to dissolve it into the drink. He then headed back out, carefully and skillfully pouring the beer into everyone’s glass, making sure to pour every last drop.

 _“Anything else?”_ he asked. Sawaguchi waved him and Tanaka away, allowing them to head back into the kitchen to eat their dinner.

 _“Do you think they’ll get really sick this time?”_ Tanaka asked as she plated hers and Shotaro’s plates. Shotaro nodded.

_“If Sungchan’s calculations are right, they should be really ill, which means that we have to fake our illness or else we’ll have a repeat of what happened this morning. And I don’t want that” _he stated. Tanaka nodded before she and Shotaro dug into their dinners.

 _“Wah, Tanaka san, this is really good”_ Shotaro praised. Tanaka smiled and dipped her head in thanks before they continued to eat their dinner, only to have the bell ring.

_“Clean up time”_ Shotaro murmured. Tanaka nodded in agreement, so they quickly finished their meal before they stood up and headed out to clean up.

~*~*~*~*~

That evening, after cleaning up, Shotaro headed back to his room and got ready for bed. He was too tired to video call, but he thought he would get send a message to the members, just to let them know how things were going.

_Phase 3 complete. Hope this works_

He then plugged in his phone before shutting his eyes, falling fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	20. Shotaro's Revenge

The next morning, while Shotaro was sleeping, his door was suddenly kicked open, causing him to awake with a start.

_“Wha—”_ he started, his voice thick and his eyes heavy with sleep. Since he was still half-asleep, he couldn’t really see what was going on until he was suddenly grabbed and dragged out of bed. He was then dragged down the stairs and down the hall before he was thrown into Sawaguchi’s office, landing at Sawaguchi’s feet.

_“So, Osaki. Care to explain why all of us are sicker than yesterday?”_ Sawaguchi asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Shotaro blearily looked up at him before he shook his head.

_“Food poisoning?”_ he replied. Sawaguchi huffed and took a step forward before he kicked Shotaro in the stomach, causing him to cry out in pain.

_“Do I look like an idiot? Food poisoning? Really?”_ he sneered before he kicked Shotaro again. Shotaro curled in on himself, making sure to protect his abdomen/stomach area from getting hit as Sawaguchi continued to relentlessly kick him.

_“I know you’ve been poisoning us. I found your little stash”_ Sawaguchi sneered as he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the bottle of Aqua Tofana. Shotaro looked up at the bottle, eyes widening slightly.

 _“You think I don’t know poison when I see one? Do you really think I’m stupid, Osaki?!”_ Sawaguchi screamed before he slammed the bottle down on the ground, shattering it. Shotaro looked at the shattered bottle in horror.

_“No”_ he whispered. Sawaguchi then huffed before he knelt down and reached out, grabbed Shotaro by the front of his shirt.

 _“You thought you could get away with this, Osaki, but guess what? For an assassin, you’re not very good at your job”_ he spat before he drew his fist back and punched Shotaro in the face. Shotaro grunted in pain as his head snapped to the side, but he didn’t have a lot of time to react before Sawaguchi was punching him again, this time repeatedly until Shotaro could feel blood oozing down from his nose. Sawaguchi then dropped Shotaro back down onto the ground as he stood up, shaking his fist to rid his knuckles of the stinging pain while Shotaro let out another low groan. 

_“That’s just a taste of what’s to come”_ Sawaguchi whispered before he looked over at one of his members and nodded, watching as they walked off before coming back, dragging Tanaka along. When Shotaro saw her, his eyes widened and he shook his head.

_“No, Tanaka san”_ he groaned. Sawaguchi smiled as he walked over to his desk and grabbed his gun, pointing it at Tanaka.

_“You really should have been more careful, Osaki. Now she’s going to have to pay the price for your actions”_ he purred. Shotaro shook his head more vigorously.

_“No, no! Please!”_ he begged, but Sawaguchi ignored his pleas as he pulled the trigger, placing a bullet between Tanaka’s eyes.

_“NOOOO!!”_ Shotaro screamed, watching as Tanaka dropped like a stone. He then tried to crawl towards her, only to have Sawaguchi rush forward like he was going to kick him. Shotaro’s eyes widened and he curled in on himself again, and thankfully Sawaguchi stopped before looking at the other yakuza standing in the room.

 _“Get him out of here”_ he ordered. The two members nodded and walked over to Shotaro, grabbing him by the arms. They then began to drag him out of the room, only to have him struggle against them, trying to get to Tanka.

_“Tanka-san! Tanka-san! Let go of me! TANAKA SAN!”_ he screamed as they continued to drag him out of the room and back to his bedroom, throwing him inside. He landed with a thud, causing him to let out another groan and clutch at his stomach as tears began to stream down his face. He laid there for a few moments, beaten and bruised, before he pushed himself to his knees and crawled over to his phone, grabbing it. He then unlocked it and headed to the app, holding it down. Jisung and Chenle had programmed it so that if he held it down, instead of showing “Delete App” it showed “Emergency”. He pressed the “Emergency” option before he promptly collapsed from his injuries.

~*~*~*~*~

Back in Korea, Chenle and Jisung were manning their computers when red lights began to flash and the words “EMERGENCY” in bright red letters popped up on their screens and on their larger screen in front of them.

“Oh no. Oh no, no, no, this is bad” Jisung murmured before he looked over at Chenle, who also looked at him with wide eyes. The two men then jumped out of their chairs and ran out of the room, running to Taeyong’s office. They then burst through the door, causing Taeyong and Jaehyun, both of whom were in Taeyong’s office, to jump in surprise.

“Wha—” Jaehyun started.

“Shotaro’s in trouble!” Jisung and Chenle shouted. Taeyong and Jaehyun’s eyes widened before Taeyong reached under his desk and pressed a button, causing an alarm bell to sound. The four men then walked out of Taeyong’s office and into the main lobby, where the other 18 members soon joined them.

“What the hell? Why is the emergency alarm going off?” Yuta demanded.

“Shotaro’s in trouble. He hit the “emergency” option on the app. Someone needs to go and get him” Chenle panted. Everyone’s eyes widened before Yuta shook his head.

“We can’t get a plane ticket in time, can we?” he asked, looking over at Jisung and Chenle. Jisung shook his head.

“It’s too close” he replied. Everyone was quiet before Kun raised his hand.

“Do we have someone who has like a private plane?” he asked. Taeyong and the others looked at him before Johnny nodded.

“EXO has a private airstrip with private jets. Why?” he asked. Kun smiled.

“I have a pilot’s license…I can get us there in no time” he explained. Everyone’s eyes widened before Taeyong looked at Johnny.

“Call EXO, get their permission to use their plane” he ordered as Jaehyun looked at Yuta and Sicheng.

“Yuta, Sicheng, get ready to head out. We don’t know if Shotaro is hurt but we can’t take any chances” he stated. Yuta and Sicheng nodded before they turned and rushed off while Johnny quickly got on the phone to talk to Junmyeon to see if they could borrow one of their private planes. Sungchan then took a step forward.

“What about me?” he asked. Taeyong looked at him and shook his head.

“I’m sorry Sungchan, but you need to stay behind. Let Yuta, Sicheng, Johnny, and Kun bring Shotaro back” he murmured. Sungchan looked at him like he wanted to argue, but Mark just stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head. Sungchan nodded and sighed heavily as Johnny turned to look at them. 

“Suho said it’s fine that we use their plane” he stated. Taeyong nodded, just as Yuta and Sicheng returned, both men carrying Sicheng’s medical equipment, just in case Shotaro was hurt badly.

“Be safe and hurry” Taeyong ordered. Yuta and Sicheng nodded before they turned and headed out of the headquarters, Johnny and Kun following them.

~*~*~*~*~

Back in Japan, Shotaro slowly awoke from unconsciousness, still feeling like absolute shit. He let out a groan before he pushed himself to his feet, walking into his bathroom. He looked himself in the mirror and gently touched his nose, but didn’t feel any brokenness or hear any “cracking” sound.

“Okay, not broken. Good” he whispered as he took a towel and carefully wiped away the blood. Once he cleaned his face, he left the bathroom and headed over to his bedroom door. He then slowly walked down the stairs, making sure to keep his head down, even though majority of the yakuza members weren’t out because they were sick in bed. Once he was downstairs, he headed to the kitchen and quickly searched through the cabinets until he found the package of potassium cyanide pills. 

“I’ll make you regret killing Tanaka san” he hissed as he took a mortar and pestle, pouring the pills into the mortar before crushing them to a fine powder. Once they were a fine powder, he grabbed a pitcher and two bottles of wine, pouring the wine into the pitcher before he scooped the powder into the pitcher, making sure to scrape every last drop of the powder into it. He then mixed the wine and powder together, making sure that the potassium cyanide powder was dissolved well. Once the powder was dissolved well, he walked over to the fridge and placed the pitcher of wine inside to chill it before he poured it into a decanter later on. After he put the wine away, he began to work on dinner, which was going to be a luxurious dinner of steak, mushrooms, and asparagus. He made sure to season the steak well as well as the veggies before he began cooking. He first placed the veggies on the cast-iron pan with some butter, making sure to sear them well so that they had a good crust on them but were also tender. After cooking the asparagus and mushrooms, he took them out of the pan and placed them on the side so that they could absorb the juices before putting another pad of butter into the pan, melting it down before placing two of the steaks inside. He cooked them on either side for 3-4 minutes for a nice medium rare inside. After that, he placed those steaks on the side to rest before he went back to cooking the other steaks (and since there were a lot of yakuza members, there were a lot of steaks to cook). Once all the steaks and veggies were cooked, Shotaro quickly made mash potatoes (using a box mix of course). Just as he finished making dinner, the dinner bell rang, making Shotaro look up before he smirked.

“Show time” he whispered. He then carefully carried out the hot plates of dinner in a few trips, placing them before each yakuza member.

_“Let me go get your wine”_ he stated before he turned and headed back into the kitchen, heading over to the refrigerator. He then took out the pitcher of chilled wine and carried it over to the counter, placing it down before he got out a swizzle stick and stirred the wine, making sure that the sediment from the pills that might have settled at the bottom of the pitcher while chilling was completely re-mixed into the wine. Once the wine was mixed, he poured the wine into a fancy decanter and carried it out, pouring the wine into every yakuza member’s glass. He then took a step back and watched as the yakuza toasted to one another before they began taking sips of the wine. Since he had put a lethal amount of potassium cyanide in the wine, he knew that it wouldn’t take long for them to start dying and he was right. After about a minute or so, all the yakuza members began to choke and clutch at their throats before they began to cough up blood. Sawaguchi looked at his men in confusion as they all stood up from their seats and began screaming in pain and choking, still clutching at their throats. One by one, they collapsed to the ground, bloody saliva around their mouths and dripping down their chins. Sawaguchi stood to his feet and looked at his dead men before he looked down at the dinner table, wondering what could have killed them. It wasn’t the food, because he had eaten that and had felt fine (well, fine enough considering he had Aqua Tofana coursing through his blood stream) but then he looked at the wine and it dawned on him; the wine was spiked. He thankfully hadn’t taken a sip of wine so of course he wasn’t dead or coughing up blood like the others. He then wiped his head towards Shotaro, who was glaring at him and clutching the decanter tightly in his hand.

_“You…you little—”_ he snarled as he pushed his chair away from him and ran over to Shotaro, who was ready for the attack. He raised the decanter and waited for Sawaguchi to get close enough before he smashed the decanter into his head, causing him to fall to the floor. Shotaro then launched himself at Sawaguchi, grabbing him by the front of his shirt.

_“You should have never killed Tanka-san” _he hissed before he drew his fist back and punched Sawaguchi in the face. Sawaguchi’s head snapped to the side and he let out a groan of pain, but Shotaro didn’t stop punching him. No, he kept punching him until someone had to physically haul him off of Sawaguchi, which Yuta did after he, Sicheng, Johnny, and Kun ran inside and saw him beating the hell out of him.

“Let me go! Let me at him! He deserves to die! He deserves to die for what he did!” Shotaro screamed, struggling in Yuta’s strong arms as he pulled him away.

“Shotaro, hey, Shotaro! Calm down, calm down” Yuta soothed. Shotaro struggled against him, but Yuta was too strong and he was too tired, so he just slumped against Yuta, letting out a sob.

“Shh…shh…you did well, Taro-kun. You did well” he soothed as Johnny walked over to Sawaguchi’s body and pointed his gun at it before he fired, hitting the man between the eyes. He then turned and looked at the massacre that Shotaro had created and let out a low whistle.

“Damn, this boy did all this?” he whispered before he looked back at Shotaro, who was sobbing in Yuta’s arms as Yuta gently petted his hair.

“Jesus, kid, you look awful” he murmured, walking over to them. Sicheng nodded as he knelt down beside Yuta, looking at Shotaro.

“Shotaro, I’m going to take a look at your stomach okay? Just to make sure there’s no abdominal trauma or internal bleeding” he murmured. Shotaro nodded as Sicheng carefully lifted up Shotaro’s shirt, studying it. 

“Hmm…” he murmured before he reached out and gently touched Shotaro’s abdomen, gauging his reaction.

“Does it hurt?” he asked. Shotaro shook his head.

“No. I was very careful to protect myself” he replied. Sicheng smiled.

“Well, that’s good. I’m going to gently feel up your abdomen to make sure you have no broken bones, okay?” he stated. Shotaro nodded again as Sicheng carefully and gently felt up Shotaro’s side and then his rib area to make sure he didn’t feel any breaks. When he didn’t feel anything, he nodded slightly.

“Okay, I don’t feel anything, which is good” he mused before he leaned forward and looked at Shotaro’s face.

“Did he punch you, Taro?” he asked. Shotaro nodded, causing Sicheng to let out a steady stream of breath before he opened up his kit and pulled out a flashlight, shining it over Shotaro’s face.

“Okay, your nose isn’t crooked, that’s good” he murmured before he reached out and gently touched Shotaro’s nose.

“I don’t feel any brokenness, so that’s good” he continued before he looked at Shotaro and smiled gently.

“But we’re still going to get you medical help, alright?” he soothed. Shotaro nodded before he looked at Kun, Johnny, Yuta, and Sicheng.

“How did you know where to find me?” he croaked. Kun smiled.

“We just sort of ran through the headquarters until we found you” he replied. Shotaro nodded weakly before his eyes widened.

“Tanaka san…” he whispered. Kun, Johnny, Yuta, and Sicheng frowned.

“Who’s that?” Yuta asked. 

“She was the head chef…Sawaguchi-san shot her when he figured out he and the others were poisoned. Her body’s still in his office…I want to give her a proper burial” Shotaro croaked. Johnny nodded.

“Sure, whatever you want. Where’s the office?” he asked. Shotaro weakly lifted his hand and pointed down the hall.

“Right down the hall and to the left. You can’t miss it” he croaked. Johnny nodded before he looked over at Kun.

“Come on” he instructed. Kun nodded and followed after him, heading off to find Tanaka’s body while Sicheng continued to look over Shotaro.

“What happened, Shotaro?” he murmured as Yuta began to run his fingers through Shotaro’s hair. Shotaro whimpered.

“Everything was going fine…but then Sawaguchi-san somehow figured out that we were poisoning him. He almost shot Tanaka san after Phase 2, but after Phase 3, he dragged me out of bed and basically beat me because I had poison him and his members. He then shot Tanaka san because he said that she was “paying the price for my actions”. After he shot her, he beat me and kicked me again before dragging me back to my room and throwing me inside” he explained. Sicheng and Yuta growled in anger, just as Johnny and Kun returned, Tanaka’s body in Johnny’s arms. 

“Where should we bury her?” Kun asked, looking at Shotaro. Shotaro was quiet before he let out a groan and tried to sit up, Yuta helping him do so.

“There’s a pond behind the headquarters…Tanaka san always liked to sit there and watch the ducks. I think there’s a tree near the pond…if we could bury her there, I think her spirit would be happy” he replied. Johnny nodded and headed towards the entrance of the headquarters, Kun following behind him.

“Come on, Taro. Up you go” Yuta murmured as he pushed himself to his feet, Sicheng holding onto Shotaro as Yuta helped him stand. Both men then helped him walk out of the headquarters and around the back to the pond, where Johnny and Kun were already digging a hole in front of the large tree that was there.

“Convenient that there was a toolshed nearby” Johnny stated as he and Kun continued to dig the grave until it was deep enough to hold a body. Once the grave was dug, the two men carefully picked up Tanaka’s body and placed it into the grave, covering her with dirt. The five men then placed their hands together and bowed their heads as a sign of respect before they lifted their heads, Johnny, Kun, Yuta, and Sicheng all looking at Shotaro, who was looking back at them with fear in his eyes.

“The bodies?” he asked. Yuta smiled and waved his head.

“Don’t worry about them. I have a friend here; I’ll ask him to take care of it” he assured. Shotaro nodded slowly as Sicheng looked at him.

“Anything else you want us to do, Shotaro?” he asked softly. Shotaro was quiet before

he shook his head.

“No. I just want to go home” he whimpered. Johnny nodded.

“Okay, kid, okay. We’ll go home” he assured. Yuta and Sicheng then carefully help Shotaro walk back to the plane as Johnny and Kun followed behind. As they followed, Johnny pulled out his phone and sent a quick text before he slipped his phone back into his pocket and boarded the plane, Kun right behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	21. To the Hospital

Two hours later, Kun, Shotaro, Johnny, Yuta, and Sicheng arrived back in Korea, landing in EXO’s private air strip. They then headed over to the Escalade, Johnny taking the wheel as Sicheng instructed him to take them to the hospital. They then drove to the nearest hospital, where they then parked outside of the ER. There were two doctors already waiting outside, making Sicheng frown.

“Who are they?” he asked. Johnny smiled.

“Back in Japan, I texted Minseok and Jongdae, who are members of EXO who work as doctors at this hospital. When I texted them that we were coming, they said they would meet us outside the ER” he explained. Sicheng nodded slowly before they all got out of the car, he and Yuta carefully helping Shotaro out. As soon as they stepped foot out of the van, the two doctors, Kim Minseok and Kim Jongdae, came rushing over with a gurney.

“We’ll take care of him, don’t worry” Jongdae soothed. Sicheng nodded as Johnny carefully picked up Shotaro and placed him on the gurney before stepping back.

“We’ll give you an update when we know more” Minseok stated before he and Jongdae then rushed back into the ER as Kun, Johnny, Yuta, and Sicheng watched.

“I guess we should go back and tell the others…” Kun murmured. Yuta nodded.

“Probably” he agreed. They then got back to the car and headed back to NCT. When they arrived, they got out and headed inside, soon surrounded by the others.

“Where’s Shotaro?” Sungchan asked, worry and fear in his eyes. Sicheng sighed.

“He was beaten pretty badly and I don’t know if he has internal bleeding or not so we took him to the hospital” he explained.

“Two of EXO’s members that work at the hospital are looking after him. He’s in good hands” Johnny assured. 

“When will we be able to see him?” Renjun asked. Sicheng shook his head.

“I don’t know. Whenever the doctors call, I guess” he replied. Everyone looked at each other before Taeyong sighed.

“Since we won’t know when we’ll be able to see Shotaro, I suggest we all get some rest” he stated. The other NCT members were quiet before they nodded and turned, heading off to either take a nap or to finish up whatever they were working on before Taeyong pressed the emergency button. As they were walking away, Sicheng noticed Yuta walking quickly towards the gym, making him sigh.

“Oh boy” he murmured. 

“What’s the matter, Sicheng-ge?” Yangyang asked as he, Mark, and Donghyuck walked over to him. Sicheng looked over at them before he smiled weakly.

“Yuta’s in a mood…he’s gone off to the gym to let off some steam” he explained. Yangyang, Mark, and Donghyuck nodded in understand as Sicheng then turned and headed towards the gym.

“Wait, but why are you heading towards the gym?” Donghyuck asked. Sicheng looked back at him and smirked.

“Who else is going to be his sparing partner?” he replied. Mark, Yangyang, and Donghyuck looked at him with wide eyes but didn’t say anything as they just watched him walk towards the gym.

~*~*~*~*~

In the gym, Sicheng stepped inside to see Yuta punching the punching bag with his bare hands, causing him to sigh before he walked over to where the boxing gloves and punching mitts were. He then picked up a pair of mitts and slipped them on before he walked over to Yuta.

“How about you punch these instead of the bag? And wrap your knuckles, they’re going to be a bitch to clean and care for if they start bleeding” he insructed. Yuta turned and looked at him as he held up the punching mitts, a small smile on his face. Yuta huffed before he walked over and grabbed the hand wraps, wrapping both of his hands securely (but not too tight) before he slipped on a pair of gloves. He then walked over to Sicheng and waited for Sicheng to get in a horse stance before he began punching, letting most of his aggression in his punches.

“You’re angry” Sicheng mused. Yuta gave him a look.

“What gave you that idea, baby?” he asked. Sicheng laughed before he turned serious.

“I know you’re concerned about Shotaro but he’s fine. In the hospital, but he’s fine” he soothed. Yuta scoffed.

“Yeah, and covered with bruises. That Oyabun could have _killed him_!” he roared as he punched one of the mitts really hard, causing Sicheng to wince in pain. Yuta’s eyes widened and he took a step back, hands falling to his side.

“Winko, are you okay?” he whispered. Sicheng took off his punching mitts and checked his wrist before he looked at Yuta.

“I’m fine. Really. I just wasn’t expecting such a powerful punch” he explained with a small smile. Yuta let out a heavy sigh before he took off his gloves and sat down, running a hand through his hair. Sicheng raised an eyebrow and sat down before him, reaching out and taking his hand.

“Now I’m the one who should be asking, are you okay?” he asked. Yuta looked at him before he smiled weakly.

“Fine” he replied. Sicheng frowned.

“You sure?” he asked. Yuta nodded. 

“Yeah…yeah I’m sure. I’m just angry that Shotaro got hurt” he explained. Sicheng nodded.

“I understand. But he’s home now, he’s safe. We saved him” he soothed. Yuta nodded.

“Yeah, yeah we did” he agreed. Sicheng smiled before he pushed himself to his feet.

“Don’t stay in here too long. You’re either going to wear yourself out or hurt yourself” he stated before he turned and headed out of the gym, leaving Yuta on the mat. Yuta watched him leave before he flopped onto his back, placing his arm over his eyes as he let out heavy sigh.

~*~*~*~*~

Sicheng walked out of the gym and let out a heavy sigh as well, running a hand through his head.

“You okay?” a voice called out, making him look up to see Ten leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He huffed.

“What makes you think I’m not?” he replied. Ten motioned to him.

“Because you look like you’ve been run over with a steam roller and haven’t slept in two days” he explained. Sicheng smiled.

“I’m fine. It’s just stress” he explained. Ten hummed.

“Worried about Shotaro right?” he asked. Sicheng nodded.

“Of course. Aren’t you worried about him?” he replied. Ten nodded.

“Of course I am. Which is why I’m here” he explained. Sicheng frowned.

“Huh?” he asked. Ten smirked.

“I’m here to escort you back to your room and make you stay there. You need sleep” he declared. Sicheng frowned.

“Why are you escorting me back?” he asked. Ten chuckled.

“Because if I don’t, you’ll end up working when you should be resting” he explained before he took Sicheng by the arm and led him away from the gym and up the stairs to the rooms. He then gently pushed Sicheng into his room before pointing at him.

“Take a shower, take some medicine, and take a nap” he instructed before he grabbed the doorknob and shut the door. Sicheng looked at the door and huffed before he decided that Ten was probably right and headed over to the bathroom to take a hot shower to relax himself. After taking a shower and changing clothes, he took some Ibuprophen and then headed over to his bed, laying down. As he laid down, waiting for sleep to take him, he heard the door to his room open, so he sleepily lifted his head and looked over his shoulder to see Yuta entering the room.

“I didn’t wake you, did I?” he asked softly. Sicheng sleepily shook his head, causing Yuta to smile.

“Okay, good. Go back to sleep, Winko” he whispered before he headed to the bathroom to take a shower. While he was showering, Sicheng waited patiently for him to be finished and once he was done, changed, and in bed, he quietly got out of bed and walked over to Yuta’s bed, slipping into it and wrapping an arm around him. Yuta jumped in surprise and spun around in Sicheng’s arms, looking down at him in surprise.

“Winko, what’s wrong?” he asked. He had every right to be surprised because not once had Sicheng ever gotten into his bed, which indicated to him that something was definitely wrong.

“I’m worried about Shotaro, Yuta” Sicheng whispered. Yuta looked down at the young doctor and smiled softly as he wrapped his arms around him, gently petting his hair.

“What is it that you told me in the gym? That’s he’s okay? That he’s okay and that we saved him?” he murmured. Sicheng shook his head.

“You know that’s not what I meant” he replied. Yuta huffed softly.

“No, I know you’re concerned about him from a medical standpoint but he’s going to be fine, baby. You’ve been so worried about him for the past few days and it’s started to take a toll on your body. But he’s safe, he’s probably getting the best care possible, and he’s home. So just rest. He’ll be okay. We can’t have you going into the hospital the minute he gets out” he murmured. Sicheng was quiet, thinking over Yuta’s words, before he nodded.

“Okay” he agreed. Yuta smiled and gently stroked Sicheng’s hair as he pulled him closer.

“Sleep, baby. I’ll be here” he murmured. Sicheng smiled and snuggled closer to him, feeling like he could finally relax since Shotaro went back to the Yamaguchi-gumi.

~*~*~*~*~

A few hours later, after Sicheng and Yuta both got their nap out, Sicheng headed back downstairs to his lab to at least do something to keep his mind off of Shotaro in the hospital. He began to tidy up his workspace, putting files in their correct slots, placing pens back in their pen holders, placing various paperclips and other office supplies back in their assigned places, and other things like that. Once he had cleaned up his desk, he headed to his workspace and began sanitizing everything. Not that he didn’t do that after every member visited his office, but it had been a while since he had done it, so he thought it would be a good idea. If he kept his hands busy, then he kept his mind busy and if his mind was busy, then he wouldn’t think about Shotaro lying in the hospital. While he was wiping down the examination table, he didn’t hear someone push open the lab door and walk over to him. The person then reached out and tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jump and instinctively turn around swinging a punch.

“Woah, easy there cowboy!” Johnny exclaimed as he caught Sicheng’s fist in his hand. Sicheng’s eyes widened and he took a step back in shock.

“Hyung! I’m so sorry!” he apologized. Johnny laughed as he let go of Sicheng’s fist.

“Nah, it’s my fault, I should have called out or something. Jesus, you were really swinging to knock someone out, weren’t you?” he teased. Sicheng winced.

“Sorry…it’s just that after I got attacked in my lab the last time…I’m a bit more…” he started.

“On edge?” Johnny asked, raising an eyebrow. Sicheng nodded.

“Yeah” he replied before he frowned and looked at him.

“Why are you here? Did you get hurt?” he asked, looking him up and down. Johnny shook his head.

“No; Jongdae called. Shotaro’s gonna be fine and can actually have visitors” he explained. Sicheng looked at him with wide eyes.

“Are you serious? He’s fine?” he whispered. Johnny smiled.

“I told you, EXO knows what they’re doing. So yeah, he’s gonna be fine. I just came to let you know if you wanted to go see him” he explained. Sicheng nodded.

“Of course I do!” he exclaimed. Johnny smiled and nodded.

“Good, cuz we’re all getting ready to leave” he declared. Sicheng nodded and quickly followed after Johnny as he turned and headed out of the lab, where everyone else was waiting for them.

“Alright, that’s everyone. Let’s head out” Taeyong declared. Everyone nodded as they headed out, heading towards the Escalades; Johnny, Kun, and Jaehyun each taking the wheel. They then pulled out and drove towards the hospital, everyone anxious to see Shotaro.

~*~*~*~*~

When they arrived at the hospital, Minseok and Jongdae were standing outside the ER doors, just like what they had done when Johnny, Kun, Yuta, and Sicheng arrived the first time.

“Shotaro’s this way. Follow us” Jongdae instructed, motioning for NCT to follow him and Minseok to the ER room where Shotaro was laying with an IV drip in his arm.

“Taro” Sungchan whispered, tears in his eyes. Minseok smiled softly.

“You can see him” he assured. Sungchan then looked over at the other members of NCT, who nodded, before he rushed over to Shotaro and took his hand.

“Shotaro” he whispered. Shotaro let out a soft groan and opened his eyes, and when he saw Sungchan, he smiled weakly.

“Sungchan” he murmured. Sungchan let out a soft sob and squeezed Shotaro’s hand as Shotaro looked over to see the other NCT members standing at the door of his room.

“Hyung” he greeted. Taeyong and the others soon entered the room, everyone trying to fit into the small room without making it uncomfortable.

“How are you feeling?” Taeyong asked gently. Shotaro nodded.

“Sore” he replied. Jaehyun smiled softly.

“I bet” he murmured. Shotaro looked over at him and smiled before he frowned.

“How did you guys find me? Like, really find me?” he asked. Chenle and Jisung smiled.

“We were tracking you, remember?” Jisung replied.

“Yeah, and we made sure to check your location before we told Johnny hyung, Yuta hyung, Kun-ge, and Sicheng-ge where to go” Chenle added. Shotaro nodded slowly.

“Oh…” he murmured as Hendery looked at him.

“So…I’m guessing the plan…worked?” he asked. Shotaro nodded.

“Yeah…I used potassium cyanide in the end” he answered. 

“It was a fucking bloodbath in there” Johnny declared. Lucas huffed.

“Of course it was, it’s potassium cyanide. When you ingest it, it leads to a pulmonary edema, which triggers a coughing fit. That’s what happened, right? They drank the poison and then they started choking and coughing, right?” he asked, looking over at Shotaro. Shotaro nodded.

“They also turn a shade of blue. Did you see them turn blue, Taro?” Sicheng asked. Shotaro shook his head.

“I was more focused on getting even with Sawaguchi-san” he explained. 

“Who?” Yangyang asked. 

“Yamaguchi-gumi’s Oyabun, or boss. He shot Shotaro’s friend in front of him and Shotaro decided to get revenge” Yuta explained. 

“Is that how you got those bruises? Sawaguchi gave them to you?” Doyoung asked, his voice quiet but there was a certain edge to it. Shotaro nodded.

“He beat me because Tanaka san and I had poisoned him and his men” he explained. Everyone fell quiet and there was a certain aura that surrounded the room, causing Shotaro to look at them with wide eyes.

“Um…guys?” he called out, snapping everyone from their furious mood. Kun then smiled at him softly.

“Sorry; we all just had a sense of rage come over us” he explained. Shotaro nodded.

“I can see that” he replied as Sungchan leaned down and rested his head on Shotaro’s.

“I’m glad you’re okay” he whispered. Shotaro smiled and leaned into Sungchan’s touch, making everyone smile, while Sicheng quietly slipped away and walked over to Jongdae and Minseok, who were standing at the doorway of the room.

“How long does he have to stay here?” he asked softly. Minseok and Jongdae looked at him before they smiled softly.

“Probably just overnight to observe him. He doesn’t have any broken bones or any signs of internal bleeding, but he does have a few bruised ribs so we want to make sure that those don’t turn into something more serious” Minseok explained. Sicheng nodded as Jongdae tilted his head at him.

“Yixing told us about you, Dr. Dong Sicheng” he stated. Sicheng looked at him in surprise.

“He…he did?” he replied. Minseok nodded.

“Mm. He saw how you cared for your members and how you were concerned for them back when you were in China. We need more doctors like you in the field, so we were wondering if you would like to join our staff” he declared. Sicheng blinked in surprise before his mouth fell open.

“Wait, you’re…you’re offering me a job?” he whispered. Jongdae nodded.

“We are. But only if you want it. Sleep on it, okay? We’re not pressuring you into anything” he assured. Sicheng looked at them before he nodded.

“Okay” he agreed. Minseok then smiled.

“You can give us your answer tomorrow, when your friend gets released” he suggested. Sicheng nodded.

“Okay” he agreed again. Jongdae then motioned to the room.

“You should go see your friend” he murmured. Sicheng nodded before he turned and headed back inside the room to join the others and talk to Shotaro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	22. Words of Advice

Late that evening, when everyone was fast asleep, Sicheng was sitting in the kitchen, nursing a warm cup of tea.

“Can’t sleep?” a voice murmured, making him jump and look over to see Doyoung walking over to him.

“Jesus hyung, you scared me” he breathed. Doyoung smiled as he sat down beside him and placed his chin in his hand as he looked at him.

“So, can’t sleep? Or is it something else?” he asked. Sicheng looked at him before he sighed.

“Something else” he replied. Doyoung hummed.

“Mind sharing?” he asked. Sicheng shook his head.

“No. Um…those EXO doctors told me that the doctor from China, Dr. Zhang, spoke to them about me and told them about how good of a doctor I was…and they um…they offered me a job. At the hospital” he murmured. Doyoung’s eyes widened.

“Sicheng, that’s amazing” he breathed. Sicheng nodded.

“I know…but I don’t know if I should take it” he whispered. Doyoung frowned.

“Why wouldn’t you take it? It’s an amazing opportunity” he argued. Sicheng nodded.

“I know that but…” he started when Doyoung hummed.

“You’ve grown accustomed to being here” he mused. Sicheng looked over at him and nodded.

“I mean, I would love to work in a hospital again, but after being a part of NCT…I don’t know if being a…normal doctor is my calling anymore” he murmured. Doyoung nodded.

“I see…have you talked to Taeyong about the offer?” he asked. Sicheng let out a heavy sigh.

“I haven’t, I’m kind of scared to” he admitted. Doyoung crossed his arms.

“Why are you scared?” he asked. Sicheng looked over at him and Doyoung studied him for a moment before it dawned on him.

“You’re scared Taeyong’s going to say go for it. You don’t actually want the job, do you?” he whispered. Sicheng shook his head.

“I’ve grown…comfortable in NCT. I’m happy working here; my family’s here. If I had gotten this offer months before, I would have snapped up the chance to leave. But now…I don’t. Does that make sense?” he asked. Doyoung nodded.

“Of course it does” he soothed, reaching out to place a hand on Sicheng’s arm.

“But I would still talk to Taeyong and get his opinion on it. But if you really don’t want to take the job offer, then just tell them that you don’t want the job and that you’re happy where you are. At the end of the day, it’s your decision” he declared. Sicheng looked at him before he smiled.

“Thanks, hyung. Really” he thanked. Doyoung smiled.

“No problem. Talk to Taeyong, see what he says, then go to bed” he instructed as he pushed himself to his feet and headed out of the kitchen.

“Hey hyung” Sicheng called out, making Doyoung stop and look over at him.

“Yeah?” he replied. 

“How did you know I was here?” Sicheng asked. Doyoung smiled.

“I just know things” he replied before he turned and headed out of the kitchen. Sicheng watched him leave before he shook his head, letting out a little huff before he finished his tea and pushed himself to his feet.

“Alright…you can do this” he murmured before he turned and headed out of the kitchen, heading towards Taeyong’s office. He then knocked on the door, hoping that Taeyong was in.

“Come in” a voice called from the other side. Sicheng then opened the door to find Taeyong asleep in his chair while Jaehyun was looking through some files. When Jaehyun heard the door open, he looked up from the files and smiled.

“Winwin. You’re up rather late. Something on your mind?” he asked. Sicheng nodded, making Jaehyun place the files down before he walked over to the front of Taeyong’s desk and leaned against it.

“What’s up?” he asked. Sicheng looked at him before he sighed.

“The doctors at Shotaro’s hospital, the ones from EXO, offered me a job to work at the hospital” he explained. Jaehyun’s eyes widened.

“Sicheng, that’s amazing” he breathed. Sicheng nodded.

“I know, but I don’t know if I want to take the job” he murmured. Jaehyun tilted his head.

“How come?” he asked. Sicheng looked up at him.

“If you had asked me a few months ago if I wanted the job, then I’d jump at the chance. Now…I’m not sure if being a doctor is the right thing for me anymore” he explained. Jaehyun looked at him before he pushed himself off the desk and walked over to him, taking him by the hand. He then led him over to the couch that was in their office and sat him down before sitting down before him.

“Why do you think that? You’re a great doctor, Winwin. I think you should take the job; it’s what you’ve always wanted to do, isn’t it?” he murmured. Sicheng nodded.

“Yes but…” he stared before he hung his head. Jaehyun looked at him before he hummed.

“You don’t want to leave, right?” he asked. Sicheng looked up at him and shook his head.

“I like working here as NCT’s doctor. I’m happy here. I don’t wanna leave that” he explained. Jaehyun smiled softly.

“And we don’t want you to leave either, but we also don’t want to hold you back if you can reach your potential working at this hospital” he stated. Sicheng looked at him as he smiled softly.

“They told you to sleep on it, right?” he asked. Sicheng nodded.

“Yeah” he replied. Jaehyun nodded.

“Then sleep on it. We’ll support you in whatever decision you decide to make” he assured. Sicheng smiled.

“Thank you hyung” he thanked. Jaehyun smiled.

“You’re welcome” he replied before he reached out and patted his shoulder.

“Get some sleep, okay?” he instructed. Sicheng nodded, pushing himself to his feet before he turned and headed out of the office to head upstairs to bed. 

“Do you think he’s going to take the job?” a soft voice asked, making Jaehyun look over to see Taeyong starring sleepily at him. 

“How long were you awake, baby?” he replied, smiling as he pushed himself off the couch and walked over to Taeyong. Taeyong looked up at him and Jaehyun swore he looked like a sleepy kitten.

“Long enough. Do you think he’s going to take the job?” Taeyong murmured, letting out a yawn. Jaehyun hummed as he reached out and began petting Taeyong’s hair.

“I think…that he will do what he thinks is best. If he goes, then we will support his decision and if he stays, we will support his decision. This is all up to Sicheng; the ball’s in his court” he mused. Taeyong hummed.

“Well said, dear” he replied. Jaehyun chuckled before he looked up and smiled slightly.

_‘I wonder what you’re going to choose, Sicheng?’_ he thought to himself.

~*~*~*~*~

After a good night’s sleep, Sicheng went to pick up Shotaro at the hospital the next morning. When he arrived, Shotaro was waiting with Minseok and Jongdae at the entrance of the ER, a bright smile on his face when he saw Sicheng. 

“Hey Taro. Ready to go?” Sicheng asked as he walked over to him. Shotaro nodded.

“Yeah” he replied. Sicheng smiled.

“Cool. Why don’t you head over to the car, I’m gonna talk to the doctors for a moment” he stated. Shotaro nodded and headed towards the car as Minseok and Jongdae smiled at him.

“So? What did you decide?” Minseok asked. Sicheng looked at them before he cleared his throat.

“While I’m flattered with the offer, I think…I’m going to stay with my members, if it’s all the same to you” he declared. Minseok and Jongdae looked at each other before they looked back at him.

“Are you sure?” Jongdae asked. Sicheng nodded.

“I got some second opinions and…I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be than with my family” he replied. Minseok and Jongdae smiled.

“If that’s what you choose, then we respect your decision. However, do not hesitate to call if you need anything” Jongdae instructed before he reached into his coat jacket and pulled out a small card, handing it to Sicheng.

“Oh. What’s this?” Sicheng asked as he took the card.

“It’s Jongdae and I’s numbers. Like we said, if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to call” Minseok stated. Sicheng looked up at them with wide eyes before he smiled.

“Thank you” he thanked, bowing before he turned and walked back to the car where Shotaro was waiting patiently for him. As he walked away, Minseok looked over at Jongdae.

“You knew he would say know, didn’t you?” he asked. Jongdae nodded.

“I did. You saw how he was with his members. He’s where he belongs; we shouldn’t tear him away from that” he replied. Minseok hummed as he and Jongdae watched Sicheng get into the car and pulled out of the hospital parking lot, heading back to NCT.

~*~*~*~*~

When they arrived at NCT, Sicheng and Shotaro headed inside, where they were greeted by Taeyong and Jaehyun.

“Hey there Taro. How are you feeling?” Jaehyun asked. Shotaro nodded.

“I feel better hyung. Still sore, but I feel better” he replied. Jaehyun nodded.

“Good, good” he agreed before he smiled.

“You should go see Sungchan. He’s been worried sick about you” he stated. Shotaro’s eyes widened and he nodded before he turned and headed upstairs to the bedrooms. While he was walking away, Taeyong and Jaehyun looked at Sicheng.

“So? Did you take the job?” Taeyong asked. Sicheng looked at him in surprise.

“How did you—” he started when Taeyong smirked.

“I woke up when I heard you and Jaehyun talking. I didn’t say anything because it wasn’t my place” he answered before he looked at Sicheng.

“So? Did you take the job?” he asked. Sicheng smiled and shook his head.

“Nope. I decided to stay the doctor of NCT” he replied. Jaehyun and Taeyong looked at him in surprise this time.

“You did? I thought you would have taken it” Jaehyun mused. Sicheng shook his head again.

“Nope. I thought about it last night and…like I said, I can’t see myself being anywhere else but here. With you guys. My family. And while I would be coming home every day, like Ten, it’s just not the same” he explained. Taeyong and Jaehyun looked at him before they smiled.

“Well…we’re glad you decided to stay” Taeyong mused. Sicheng smiled before he dipped his head.

“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to check on Shotaro” he stated before he turned and headed off to the stairs that led upstairs. Taeyong and Jaehyun watched him leave before Jaehyun held out his hand.

“Pay up, babe” he teased. Taeyong huffed and pulled out a five dollar bill, handing it over to him.

“I’ll win the next bet” he grumbled. Jaehyun laughed.

“I’m sure you will” he agreed.

~*~*~*~*~

Upstairs, Sicheng walked over to Sungchan and Shotaro’s room, knocking on the door before he stepped inside to see Sungchan and Shotaro clinging to each other; a happy content smile on Shotaro’s face. 

_‘Cute’_ Sicheng thought to himself before he cleared his throat, making Sungchan and Shotaro jump apart.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to ruin the moment. I just need to check your pain level Taro, to see what kind of pain killers I should give you” he explained, looking at Shotaro. Shotaro nodded as Sicheng stepped into the room.

“So, on a scale of 1-10, how bad is your pain?” he asked. Shotaro hummed.

“Um…” he started when Sicheng smiled.

“Doesn’t matter what you tell me, I’m putting you on bed rest until your bruises heal” he declared. Shotaro smiled before he shrugged.

“Um…It’s about a 2-3?” he replied. Sicheng nodded.

“Alright, I’ll get you some Aleve” he declared before he pointed at Shotaro.

“I want you to sleep with extra pillows and make sure your head is propped up as an extra precaution. I know the doctors said you didn’t have a broken nose, but I’m not taking no damn chances. You understand? And no extraneous activities. You are on bed rest. That means no going to the gym, no doing any training activities, no going on missions, no nothing. You are only allowed to leave this room to get food and attend meetings, and that’s it. Do you understand?” he asked. Shotaro and Sungchan looked at him with wide eyes before Shotaro nodded.

“Yes sir” he replied. Sicheng smiled.

“Good. I’ll be right back” he declared as he walked over to the door and opened it, walking out and heading to his bedroom to get the Aleve. When he left, Sungchan and Shotaro looked at each other.

“He’s scary…no wonder he’s NCT’s doctor” Sungchan murmured.

“I heard that” a voice called out, making Sungchan and Shotaro jump and look over to see Sicheng standing in the doorway of their room.

“Jeez hyung, you’d make a better assassin than me” Shotaro murmured as Sicheng walked forward, holding out a water bottle and an Aleve pill.

“Nah, that’s your job. I mean, did you not see the bodies? You did that. No one else could have pulled that off but you” he praised. Shotaro smiled at him as he took the pill and the water, popping the pill in his mouth before he swallowed, chasing it down with water. 

“Keep the water with you. I want you to keep hydrated. Sungchan, make sure he follows my instructions” Sicheng instructed before he turned and headed out of the room. Sungchan and Shotaro nodded before Sungchan looked over at Shotaro and pulled him into a hug before they collapsed onto Sungchan’s bed; Shotaro snuggling into Sungchan’s embrace.

“I’m glad you’re home” Sungchan whispered. Shotaro smiled.

“I’m glad to be home too” he replied. Sungchan smiled and gently gave Shotaro a squeeze before they got comfortable again and continued to cuddle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	23. NCT

A few weeks later, when everything was back to normal (well as normal as things could get for a mafia), Sicheng stepped out of his lab and looked around the NCT headquarters with a small smile on his face.

“Whatcha thinking about?” Lucas asked as he also stepped out of the lab to stand next to him. Sicheng glanced over at him before he huffed.

“Just thinking about…how if you guys hadn’t shown up that one fateful night…I don’t think we would be here right now” he mused. Lucas chuckled and crossed his arms.

“The universe works in mysterious ways, doesn’t it?” he mused. Sicheng laughed.

“Yeah, I guess so” he agreed, just as the other NCT members returned from their mission.

“Welcome back! How’d it go?” Lucas called out. Johnny nodded.

“It went well. Shotaro and Sungchan did well for their first mission with us” he replied. Lucas and Sicheng grinned.

“That’s great. Well done” Sicheng praised as Lucas looked over at Doyoung and Yuta.

“Seems like we got a person to interrogate” he mused. Yuta nodded.

“Yup” he replied.

“I can expect you to keep him in the interrogation room, right?” Sicheng asked, giving him a look. Yuta laughed.

“Don’t worry, baby, you have nothing to worry about” he assured before he and Doyoung dragged the man off to the interrogation room. While they were dealing with the man, Sicheng looked over at the other members.

“So, did anyone get hurt during this mission?” he asked. Everyone shook their head in reply, including Ten, who had quit his job as a policeman to come and work with NCT. He then smiled and clapped his hands.

“Good!” he replied. Taeyong chuckled before he looked over at the others.

“Alright, go relax, you all did well” he instructed. Everyone nodded and headed off to do their own thing as Jaehyun and Taeyong looked over at Lucas and Sicheng.

“Pretty uneventful morning?” Taeyong asked. Sicheng and Lucas nodded, making Jaehyun smile.

“That’s good, right?” he continued. Sicheng and Lucas laughed.

“Yes, an uneventful morning is a good morning” Lucas replied, just as Chenle poked his head out of the computer lab.

“Sicheng-ge! You busy?” he called out. Sicheng, Taeyong, Jaehyun, and Lucas looked over at him before Sicheng shook his head.

“No, why?” he replied. Chenle motioned for him to come over, so Sicheng bowed to Taeyong and Jaehyun before he walked to him and crossed his arms.

“What’s up?” he asked. Chenle smiled as he took Sicheng by the hand and dragged him into the computer lab, dragging him over to stand between him and Jisung.

“So, we did some digging—” he started.

“And by digging, he means we asked Kun hyung” Jisung interjected. Chenle looked over at him and stuck out his tongue before he looked back at Sicheng.

“Yes, we asked Kun-ge, but we only asked him for the address. We still had to do some digging to get their phone number” he explained. Sicheng frowned.

“What are you guys—” he started when Jisung turned around and pressed the space bar on his keyboard, a video call soon popping up on the screen to reveal a man and woman.

_“Hello?”_ the woman answered in Chinese.

_“Mom?!”_ Sicheng replied, looking at the screen in surprise. The man and woman, Sicheng’s parents, brightened when they heard and saw Sicheng.

_“Sicheng! How are you baby?”_ Mrs. Dong asked, smiling brightly. Sicheng felt tears come to his eyes before he nodded.

_“I’m doing well”_ he replied. 

_“And the job? Are you doing okay? The patients aren’t giving too much trouble?”_ Mr. Dong asked. Sicheng glanced at Jisung and Chenle, who snickered, before he looked back at his parents and shook his head.

_“No, they’re not. They’re really nice and my boss is really nice”_ he replied. Mr. and Mrs. Dong smiled.

 _“May we meet him? We’d like to thank him for taking such good care of our son”_ Mrs. Dong explained. Sicheng’s eyes widened before he held up a finger.

_“One moment”_ he replied before he quickly turned and dashed out of the computer lab, heading for Taeyong’s office. He then knocked once before he opened the door and poked his head in.

“Taeyong hyung, can you come here for a moment?” he asked. Taeyong and Jaehyun frowned before Taeyong stood up and walked over to him.

“What is it?” he asked.

“My parents are on a video call on and they want to meet my “boss”. They think that I’m at a hospital; they don’t know what I _really_ do for a living. Please act as my hospital director” Sicheng begged, giving him puppy eyes. Taeyong laughed before he nodded.

“Alright, but you’ll have to translate for me” he replied as he headed towards the computer lab. Sicheng blinked before he quickly raced after Taeyong, both of them entering the computer lab where Jisung and Chenle were patiently waiting for them. Taeyong and Sicheng then stood before the large screen, Sicheng motioning to Taeyong.

_“This is the director of the hospital, Lee Taeyong. He doesn’t speak Chinese, so I’ll translate”_ he explained. Mr. and Mrs. Dong nodded as they looked at Taeyong.

_“Thank you for taking care of our son”_ Mr. Dong thanked. Sicheng then looked over at Taeyong.

“He said thank you for taking care of me” he stated. Taeyong smiled and nodded before he looked back at Mr. and Mrs. Dong.

“You’re very welcome. We’re lucky to have someone like your son on our team; he really is an essential part” he stated. Sicheng felt tears come to his eyes before he looked at his parents and translated what Taeyong said to them. Mr. and Mrs. Dong grinned before they looked at Sicheng.

 _“Well, we should let you get back to work. I’m sure as an ER doctor, you’re seeing many patients. Be safe, Sicheng._ _我们爱你_ _”_ Ms. Dong bid. Sicheng smiled and waved goodbye.

_“_ _我爱你_ _”_ he replied before Mrs. Dong hung up the call. The screen then went dark as Sicheng continued to stare at it, tears in his eyes. 

“Sicheng-ge?” Chenle called out softly. Sicheng sniffled before he looked down at him and Jisung, a teary smile on his face before he surged forward and hugged both of them tightly.

“Thank you. Thank you so much” he whispered. Jisung and Chenle smiled, both young men patting his back before he pulled away and turned to look at Taeyong.

“Thank you” he croaked. Taeyong smiled and pulled Sicheng in for a hug, giving him a good squeeze.

“What I told your parents, I meant every word” he whispered. Sicheng sniffled and buried his face in Taeyong neck, staying there for a moment before he pulled away and wiped his eyes.

“Thank you again. Really” he replied. Taeyong smiled and nodded.

“Of course” he replied. Sicheng sniffled and nodded, letting out a soft laugh.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen my parents…I really wasn’t expecting this” he murmured. Jisung shrugged.

“Well, we thought we could do something nice for you, since you always doing so much for us” he explained. Sicheng laughed against, tears falling from his eyes, before he sniffled and shook his head.

“Thank you. Really. Thank you” he thanked as he wiped his eyes. Chenle and Jisung grinned.

“You’re welcome, hyung” they replied. Taeyong smiled fondly as he reached out and rubbed Sicheng’s arm in a comforting manner, causing Sicheng to let out a half-laugh, half-sob before he cleared his throat.

“I should um…I should get back to work” he murmured before he turned and headed out of the computer lab, wiping his eyes as he left. Taeyong, Chenle, and Jisung watched him leave before Taeyong looked at Jisung and Chenle.

“Good job, boys” he praised before he turned and walked out of the computer lab as well. Chenle and Jisung watched him leave before they looked at each other and grinned, giving each other a thumbs up before high-fiving.

~*~*~*~*~

Later that evening, when everyone was asleep, Sicheng was leaning against the railing on the second floor, overlooking the first floor that was dimly lit from the night lights that were installed because Taeyong, Chenle and Jisung always worked super late and when they went up to bed, they would end up tripping or hurting themselves in the dark. So the lights were installed for them, but it was also convenient for anyone else who had to work late or wanted a late night drink or snack. As he overlooked the first floor, a small smile on his face, the door to his room opened and Yuta stepped out, yawning and rubbing his eye.

“Winko? It’s late, what are you doing?” he murmured as he walked over to Sicheng, leaning on the railing as well.

“Just thinking and reminiscing” Sicheng replied. Yuta yawned again.

“About what?” he asked. Sicheng chuckled softly.

“About what I told Lucas this morning: that if I hadn’t agreed to be Kun’s spy when he asked, then I wouldn’t be here with NCT. With you” he replied, looking over at Yuta, who smiled softly.

“Well, I’m glad you agreed. I think our lives would be very different if you and Lucas hadn’t come” he mused. Sicheng grinned before he laughed.

“Did you know that when Jaehyun was introducing you guys to me in the hospital room, I was actually afraid of you?” he asked, looking at Yuta. Yuta’s eyes widened before he laughed softly.

“I kind of got the feeling that you were a little hesitant of me. I was actually distrustful of you when Johnny told me who you were” he admitted. Sicheng hummed.

“I think everyone was, save for Johnny” he replied. Yuta shrugged.

“Well, he ran with EXO, so he was used to the Chinese members” he mused. Sicheng chuffed.

“I guess” he agreed. Yuta then looked over at him and smiled softly.

“How did the call with your parents go?” he asked. Sicheng looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.

“How did you—” he started when Yuta smiled.

“The interrogation room’s right next to Taeyong’s office and I heard what you said to him” he explained. Sicheng nodded slowly before he smiled.

“It went well. It’s been a while since I saw them and…I’m really grateful that Chenle and Jisung were able to get them on a video call for me” he murmured. Yuta smiled fondly at him before he reached out and took him by the wrist.

“Come on, baby, it’s late. Let’s go back to bed” he murmured. Sicheng looked over at him before he smiled and nodded, following Yuta back into their bedroom. They then headed over to their bed, which they made using their two separate beds pushed together, and flopped onto it, Sicheng snuggling into Yuta’s embrace.

“I’m really glad you’re here, baby” Yuta murmured, giving Sicheng a gentle kiss on the forehead. Sicheng smiled and snuggled deeper into the embrace.

“I’m really happy I’m here too” he replied. As he and Yuta slowly drifted off to sleep, he thought about everything he had experience and smiled fondly. All throughout undergrad and med school, he had wondered what his purpose was on Earth and if there would ever be a place where he truly belonged and now, he found it. Surrounded by friends, loved ones, and those he now called family. At NCT.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 23 chapters. 23 boys. Thank you all for loving and indulging in this fic that I spent working on for a year, with hours of research to make sure that everything was perfect. I really appreciate all the love and support you have shown it because while I love all my fics and I'm all really proud of them, this one just holds a special place in my heart.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed the story and please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!
> 
> Also, don't hesitate to check out my other NCT stories; I would really appreciate to see you guys there as well.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year! Here's a new NCT fic and it's mafia au, my favorite! This fic has been in the works for about almost...a year and I'm really proud of it! I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it and please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


End file.
